Fast start induction rf fluorescent light bulb

ABSTRACT

A fast starting induction RF fluorescent lamp that is able to replace an ordinary incandescent light bulb, both in its ability to screw into a standard incandescent light bulb socket and to have the general look of the ordinary incandescent light bulb, but with all of the advantages of an induction lamp, as described herein. The present disclosure describes structures for an induction RF fluorescent lamp that includes a bulbous portion, an electronics portion, and a screw base, creating an external look that is similar to the profile of an ordinary incandescent light bulb, and with structures within the bulbous portion that facilitate rapid luminous development during the turn-on phase of the induction fluorescent lamp.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of the following U.S. patentapplication, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety:U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/030,758, filed Sep. 18, 2013.

The application Ser. No. 14/030,758 is a continuation-in-part of thefollowing U.S. patent application, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/016,363,filed Sep. 3, 2013.

The application Ser. No. 14/016,363 is a continuation-in-part of thefollowing U.S. patent application, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/968,766,filed Aug. 16, 2013.

The application Ser. No. 13/968,766 is a continuation-in-part of thefollowing U.S. patent application, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/957,846,filed Aug. 2, 2013.

The application Ser. No. 13/957,846 is a continuation-in-part of thefollowing U.S. patent application, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/837,034filed Mar. 15, 2013.

The application Ser. No. 13/837,034 is a continuation-in-part of thefollowing U.S. patent applications, each of which is hereby incorporatedby reference in its entirety: U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/684,660 filed Nov. 26, 2012, U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/684,664 filed Nov. 26, 2012, and Ser. No. 13/684,665 filed Nov. 26,2012.

This application claims priority to the following provisional U.S.patent application, which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety: provisional U.S. patent application 61/874,401 filed Sep. 6,2013.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present invention generally relates to induction RF fluorescentlight bulbs, and more specifically to reduction of electromagneticinterference from an induction RF fluorescent light bulb with aferromagnetic core.

2. Description of Related Art

Discharge lamps create light by exciting an electrical discharge in agas and using that discharge to create visible light in various ways. Inthe case of fluorescent lamps the gas is typically a mixture of argon,krypton and/or neon, plus a small amount of mercury. Other types ofdischarge lamps may use other gasses. The gas is contained in apartially evacuated envelope, typically transparent or translucent,typically called a bulb or arc tube depending upon the type of lamp.

In conventional discharge lamps electrically conductive electrodesmounted inside the bulb or arc tube along with the gas provide theelectric field used to drive the discharge.

Use of electrodes can create certain problems. First, the discharge istypically designed to have a relatively high voltage in order tominimize losses at the electrodes. In the case of fluorescent lamps,this may lead to long, thin lamp structures, which function well forlighting office ceilings, but are not always a good fit for replacingconventional incandescent lamps. Fluorescent lamps designed to replaceincandescent lamps, known as compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs, aretypically constructed by bending the long, thin tube, such as intomultiple parallel tubes or into a spiral, which is now the most commonform of CFLs. A plastic cover shaped like a conventional incandescentlamp is sometimes placed over the bent tubes to provide a moreattractive shape, but these covers absorb light, making the lamp lessefficient. Bent and spiral tube lamps also have wasted space between thetubes, making them larger than necessary. The use of a cover increasesthe size further.

The use of electrodes can create problems other than shape and size.Electrodes can wear out if the lamp is turned on and off many times, asis typical in a residential bathroom and many other applications. Thelife of the electrodes can also be reduced if the lamp is dimmed,because the electrodes are preferably operated in a specific temperaturerange and operation at different power levels can cause operationoutside the preferred ranges, such as when operating at lower power,which can allow the electrodes to cool below the specified temperaturerange.

In addition, the long thin shape selected, because it is adapted toallow use of electrodes, tends to require time for mercury vapor todiffuse from one part of the tube to another, leading to the longwarm-up times typically associated with many compact fluorescent lamps.

Finally, the electrodes are normally designed to be chemicallycompatible with the gas used in the lamp. While this is not usually aconcern with typical fluorescent lamps, it can be a problem with othertypes of discharge lamps.

One way to avoid the problems caused by electrodes is to make a lampthat does not use electrodes, a so-called electrodeless lamp. In anelectrodeless lamp, the discharge may be driven by, for example, 1) anelectric field created by electrodes mounted outside the bulb or arctube; 2) an electric field created by a very high frequencyelectromagnetic field, usually in combination with a resonant cavity, or3) an electric field created by a high frequency magnetic field withoutthe use of a resonant cavity. This latter lamp is called aninduction-coupled electrodeless lamp, or just “induction lamp.”

In an induction lamp, a high frequency magnetic field is typically usedto create the electric field in the lamp, eliminating the need forelectrodes. This electric field then powers the discharge.

Since induction lamps do not require use of electrodes, they do not needto be built into long thin tubes. In fact, a ball-shaped bulb, such asthe bulb used for conventional incandescent lamps, is a preferred shapefor an induction lamp. In addition, since induction lamps do not useelectrodes, they can be turned on and off frequently without substantialadverse impact on loss of life. The absence of electrodes also meansthat induction lamps can be dimmed without reducing lamp life. Finally,the ball-shaped lamp envelope allows rapid diffusion of mercury vaporfrom one part of the lamp to another. This means that the warm-up timeof induction lamps is typically much faster than the warm-up time ofmost conventional compact fluorescent lamps.

Induction lamps fall into two general categories, those that use a“closed” magnetic core, usually in the shape of a torus, and those thatuse an “open” magnetic core, usually in the shape of a rod. Air coreinduction lamps fall into this latter category. Closed core lamps areusually operated at frequencies generally above 50 kHz, while open corelamps usually require operating frequencies of 1 MHz and above forefficient operation. The lower operating frequency of closed coreinduction lamps makes them attractive; however, the bulb design requiredto accommodate the closed core makes them generally unsuitable forreplacing standard in incandescent lamps. Open core induction lamps,while requiring higher operating frequencies, allow the design of lampsthat have the same shape and size as common household incandescentlamps. This disclosure is primarily is addressed to the open corecategory of induction lamps.

In spite of their obvious advantages, there are very few open coreinduction lamps on the market today. One reason for the lack ofcommercially successful products is the cost of the high frequencyballast. Conventional fluorescent lamps, including CFLs, can be operatedat frequencies from 25 kHz to 100 kHz, a frequency range where low costballast technology was developed in the 1990s, and closed core inductionlamps can be operated at frequencies from 50 kHz to 250 kHz, for whichthe ballasts are only slightly more expensive. However, open coreinduction lamps typically require operating frequencies of 1 MHz orhigher. The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hasestablished a “lamp band” between 2.51 MHz and 3.0 MHz that has relaxedlimits on the emission of radio frequency energy that may interfere withradio communication services. Cost effective open core induction lampsmay preferably have an operating frequency of at least 2.51 MHz.

The lack of commercially successful open core induction lamps may betraced to the absence of a low cost ballast that can operate in the 2.51MHz to 3.0 MHz band while meeting all the requirements of the FCC; thatis small enough to fit into a lamp; that has a ballast housing that isthe same size and shape as a conventional incandescent lamp; and thatcan be dimmed on conventional TRIAC dimmers found in homes in certainmajor markets, such as the U.S. The present disclosure addresses one ormore of these issues. Therefore a need exists for improved inductionlamps, especially in residential applications.

SUMMARY

In accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, systems andmethods for the configuration and operation of an electrodeless lamp,also referred to as an induction lamp, are provided.

The present disclosure describes an induction RF fluorescent lampcomprising a lamp envelope filled with a working gas mixture at lessthan typical atmospheric pressure, a power coupler having at least onewinding of an electrical conductor, and an electronic ballast providingappropriate voltage and current to the power coupler. The lamp envelopemay include a re-entrant cavity, where the lamp envelope with re-entrantcavity is at least partially covered on a partial vacuum side withphosphor. The power coupler may be located on the non-vacuum side of there-entrant cavity where the at least one winding of an electricalconductor receives an alternating voltage and current from theelectronic ballast to generate an alternating magnetic field and therebyinducing an alternating electric field within the lamp envelope. Theelectronic ballast converts main frequency voltage and current to a highfrequency voltage and current and provides it to the power coupler, theelectronic ballast comprising an EMI filter, an AC-to-DC bridgeconverter, a DC bus, and a DC-to-AC inverter.

In embodiments, the induction RF fluorescent lamp may be able to replacean ordinary incandescent light bulb, both in its ability to screw into astandard incandescent light bulb socket and to have the general look ofthe ordinary incandescent light bulb, but with all of the advantages ofan induction lamp, as described herein. As such, the induction RFfluorescent lamp may comprise a bulbous vitreous portion of theinduction RF fluorescent lamp that is luminous when AC power isprovided, the bulbous vitreous portion comprising a vitreous envelopewith a re-entrant cavity covered on a partial vacuum side with phosphorand filled with a working gas mixture, and a power coupler on thenon-vacuum side of the re-entrant cavity comprising at least one windingof an electrical conductor (e.g., such as wound around a ferromagneticcore or air core structure), the bulbous vitreous portion having anexterior surface being one of transparent and translucent; a screw basefor electrically connecting the induction RF fluorescent lamp into an ACpower electrical socket for an ordinary incandescent light bulb; and atapering portion comprising an electronic ballast that converts an inputAC power frequency voltage and current to a power coupler high frequencyvoltage and current, wherein the induction RF fluorescent lamp tapersfrom the bulbous vitreous portion to the screw base such that thebulbous vitreous portion, the tapering portion, and the screw base takentogether provide an exterior appearance similar to an ordinaryincandescent bulb. The tapering portion may connect and structurallytaper from the bulbous vitreous portion to the screw base, the taperingportion may reside within the body of the induction RF fluorescent lampwhere the bulbous vitreous portion extends down to the screw base, thetaping portion may be an extension of the bulbous vitreous portion, andthe like. In embodiments, the bulbous vitreous portion of the inductionRF fluorescent lamp may have an appearance similar to an ordinaryincandescent bulb when it is not illuminated due to the similar outwardappearance of the bulbous vitreous portion and the tapering portion. Thebulbous vitreous portion may have an outward appearance that is whitewhen not illuminated, such as due to the phosphor coating, a frostedglass, a diffusing material on the glass, and the like. The bulbousvitreous portion may be made from glass, or any other material used inthe lighting arts. The tapering portion may be a plastic material, avitreous material, or any other like material that is able toaccommodate the electronics. The bulbous vitreous portion and thetapering portion may be made from the same material, such as glass,glass coated material, a material coated to look like glass, and thelike. The bulbous vitreous portion and the tapering portion may be onecomponent. The electrical conductor of the power coupler may be woundaround a ferrite core. The screw base may be a standard E26 Edison screwbase. The induction RF fluorescent lamp may approximate the shape andsize of an ordinary A19 incandescent bulb. Dimensionally, the bulbousportion may form a partial sphere of diameter approximating thedimension of an ordinary A19 incandescent bulb, such as approximately60.3 mm (referencing A19's maximum width as 19 times ⅛ inch), plus orminus a tolerance, such as +/−3 mm, +/−2 mm, +/−1 mm, and the like. Thetapered portion may have a neck of a maximum diameter where the taperingconcave shape of the neck meets the spherical bulbous upper portion thatis less than the diameter of the sphere as in an ordinary incandescentbulb, such as approximately 45 mm millimeters plus or minus a tolerance,such as +/−3 mm, +/−2 mm, +/−1 mm, and the like. The tapered portion mayhave a concave neck tapering from this point into a standard E26 Edisonscrew base, and the bulbous portion may sit within the neck of the lowerportion such that there is a seamless connection provided there between.

In embodiments, the induction RF fluorescent lamp may be comprise adimming facility that enables the induction RF fluorescent lamp to bedimmable from an external control dimming device, such as where theexternal dimming control device is an external TRIAC dimming device. Thedimming facility may utilize frequency-mode dimming to implement dimmingof the induction RF fluorescent lamp, where frequency-mode dimmingadjusts the operating frequency of the induction lamp away from anoptimal operating frequency for operation of the electronic ballast inresponse to an input from the external dimming control device. Thedimming facility may utilize amplitude-mode dimming to implement dimmingof the induction RF fluorescent lamp, where amplitude-mode dimmingadjusts the amplitude of a voltage associated with the power beingdelivered to the induction lamp in response to an input from theexternal dimming control device. The dimming facility may utilizeburst-mode dimming to implement dimming of the induction RF fluorescentlamp, where burst-mode dimming periodically interrupts the highfrequency voltage and current to the power coupler in order to reducethe power being delivered to the power coupler. In embodiments, aburst-mode dimming facility may dim the induction RF fluorescent lampasa function of a dimming signal received from an external dimming device.The dimming signal may be from a TRIAC-based external dimming device,and the burst-mode dimming facility senses the firing angle of theTRIAC-based external dimming device from the dimming signal. Theburst-mode dimming facility may dim the induction RF florescent lampas afunction of an adjustable user control interface on the induction RFfluorescent light bulb. The burst-mode dimming facility may dim theinduction RF fluorescent lamp through a wireless remote control device.The burst-mode dimming facility may be used to adjust the operatingpower point for a new induction RF fluorescent light bulb, where theadjustment is made from an initial operating power point that is higherthan a target operating point down to the target operating power point.The burst-mode dimming facility may be used to adjust the operatingpower point for the induction RF fluorescent lamp from a fast turn-onelevated operating power point down to an operational operating powerpoint in order to increase the rate at which the induction RFfluorescent lamp reaches an operational illumination level. The periodicinterruptions may be synchronized with the operating frequency of theDC-to-AC inverter. The power coupler high frequency f_(O) and thefrequency at which the periodic interruptions is provided f_(M), wheref_(O) may be greater than f_(M), such as f_(O) being greater than tentimes f_(M), such that at least ten cycles of f_(O) will occur duringeach on-period of f_(M). The off-period of f_(M) may be shorter than thetime required for the electron density of the discharge of the inductionRF fluorescent lamp to decrease below a threshold level necessary toprovide sufficient discharge conductivity, such as where the thresholdlevel of density is at least 20% of the electron density at the start ofthe cut-off period. The bulbous vitreous portion of the induction RFfluorescent lamp may have an appearance similar to an ordinaryincandescent bulb when it is not illuminated due to the similar outwardappearance of the bulbous vitreous portion and the tapering portion. Thescrew base may be a standard E26 Edison screw base. The bulbous portionmay form a partial sphere, such of diameter 60.3 millimetersplus-or-minus 1 millimeter. The tapered portion may have a neck withmaximum diameter of 45 millimeters plus-or-minus 1 millimeter.

In embodiments, the induction RF fluorescent lamp may comprise a dimmingdevice load control facility enabling the induction RF fluorescent lampto provide for electrical loads required for the proper operation of anexternal control dimming device, the dimming device load controlfacility controlling a switched electrical load switched in and out ofconnectivity within the electronic ballast to provide a load for theexternal dimming device. The dimming device load control facility maydetect an external dimming device type for the external dimming controldevice and automatically adjust the control of the switched electricalload based on the detected device type, such as a leading-edge typeexternal dimming device, a trailing-edge type external dimming device, asmart type external dimming device, and the like. The use of the dimmingdevice load control facility may reduce flicker in the lamp. The dimmingdevice load control facility may use integrated circuit electronics inthe control of the switched electrical load, where the integratedcircuit electronics comprise a microcontroller. The integrated circuitelectronics may comprise a single package with a combination of analogand digital integrated control circuits, such as where the combinationreduces power consumption and noise. The switched electrical load may beswitched out of the circuit during on-time intervals of the externaldimming device and switched into the circuit during off-time intervalsof the external dimming device. The switched electrical load is switchedinto the circuit when the presence of an external dimming device issensed.

In embodiments, the induction RF fluorescent lamp may comprise a powercoupler (such as with a ferromagnetic core) and conductive material incontact with the power coupler to reduce extraneous electromagneticradiation emanating from the power coupler. The conductive material maybe inserted inside the power coupler, such as into an axial cavitywithin the ferromagnetic core. The conductive material may be segmented.The conductive material may be located between the electrical conductorand a ferromagnetic core. The conductive material may be in contact witha ferromagnetic core and additionally wrapped around the side of theelectrical conductor that is opposite the side of the electricalconductor that faces the ferromagnetic core. The wrapped portion of theconductive material may be in the form of a strip of shieldingconductive material that extends axially along the power coupler. Theconductive material may be a sheet of conductive material. Theconductive material may be a mesh of conductive material. The conductivematerial may be a thin conductor, wherein the thin conductor may be awire, a strip of conductive material, and the like. The conductivematerial may be grounded to the RF ground in the electronic ballast. Theinduction RF fluorescent lamp may comprise a shielding conductivematerial at least partially encasing the electronic ballast to reduceelectromagnetic radiation from emanating from the electronic ballast,such as the shielding conductive material being a mesh of conductivematerial, a sheet of conductive material, conductive paint and the like.The shielding may be in contact with a support material to maintaindimensional integrity.

In embodiments, the induction RF fluorescent lamp may comprisestructures within the lamp envelope that promote rapid luminousdevelopment during the turn-on phase of the induction RF fluorescentlamp. Structures may include a first metallic structure comprisingmercury, the first metallic structure mounted within the lamp envelopein such a location and orientation with respect to the induced electricfield so as to maximize absorption of power from the electric field andinduced discharge during a turn-on phase of the induction RF fluorescentlamp in order to rapidly heat and vaporize the mercury to promote rapidluminous development during the turn-on phase of the induction RFfluorescent lamp, wherein the first metallic structure received mercurycondensation from at least a first power on to form a mercury amalgam.The first metallic structure may be radially positioned in the range of1-12 mm from the re-entrant cavity and within the lamp envelope. Thefirst metallic structure may be substantially flat along one plane andmay be folded, constrained along that plane. The first metallicstructure may be positioned in the burner envelope such that the normalto its surface is between 0 and 90 degrees relative to a normal to thesurface of the re-entrant cavity. The first metallic structure may be asheet or a metallic mesh comprised of cut metal that has been expanded,woven wires, punched metal and the like. The metal of first metallicstructure may be one of steel, stainless steel, nickel, titanium,molybdenum, tantalum and the like. The mesh may be plated with Indium orother material that forms an amalgam with mercury. Structures mayinclude a second metallic structure, the second metallic structuremounted within the lamp envelope in such a location with respect to theinduced electric field so as to facilitate electrical breakdown of theworking gas mixture during the turn-on phase of the induction RFfluorescent lamp in order to promote rapid luminous development duringthe turn-on phase of the induction RF fluorescent lamp. The secondmetallic feature may comprise at least one pointed feature to facilitateelectrical breakdown, and may be a wire, sheet, mesh or the like. A meshmay be one of cut metal that has been expanded, woven wires, punchedmetal and the like. The second metallic feature may be mounted to thesurface of the re-entrant cavity, the first metallic structure, or thelike. The second metallic structure may be a conductive metal that doesnot react with mercury such as nickel, molybdenum, steel, stainlesssteel and the like. The second metallic structure may not compriseIndium.

These and other systems, methods, objects, features, and advantages ofthe present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromthe following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and thedrawings. All documents mentioned herein are hereby incorporated intheir entirety by reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention and the following detailed description of certainembodiments thereof may be understood by reference to the followingfigures:

FIG. 1 depicts a high-level functional block diagram of an embodiment ofthe induction lamp.

FIG. 1A depicts embodiment dimensionality for an induction lamp.

FIG. 1B depicts embodiment dimensionality for an induction lamp.

FIG. 2 shows a typical circuit diagram of a TRIAC based dimmer known inthe art.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of an electronic ballast without anelectrolytic smoothing capacitor known in the art.

FIG. 4 illustrates dimming operation of the electronic ballast known inthe art.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of an electronic ballast with a dimmingarrangement in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates the ballast and lamp operation method in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows a block-schematic diagram of the TRIAC dimmed ballastaccording to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 shows a block-circuit diagram according to an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 9 shows oscillograms of the TRIAC voltage, lamp current and lampvoltage in a dimming mode, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment for a pass-through circuit.

FIG. 11 depicts an exemplary embodiment cross-section view of an RFinduction lamp.

FIG. 12 depicts an exemplary embodiment cross-section view of a couplerwith the inserted grounded shell.

FIG. 12A depicts an exemplary embodiment of a capacitor acting toprovide electrical isolation from a ferrite core coupler.

FIG. 12B depicts an exemplary embodiment of a capacitor acting toprovide electrical isolation from an air-core coupler

FIG. 13 shows an exemplary experimental and commercial lamp covered withcopper foil for purposes of an experiment.

FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary experimental set-up for measurement ofthe lamp surface voltage.

FIG. 15 provides experimental data of conductive EMI (points) and theallowed limits (lines) taken with a related art lamp using a LISN setup.

FIG. 16 provides experimental data of conductive EMI (points) and theallowed limits (lines) taken with the test lamp accordance to anexemplary and non-limiting embodiment.

FIG. 17 shows a block-circuit diagram of electronic ballast comprising aPassive Valley Fill PF correction circuit accordingly to the presentinvention.

FIG. 18 shows waveforms of the input current and DC bus voltage of theballast in FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 shows a block-circuit diagram of electronic ballast with aPassive Valley Fill Circuit dimmed by TRIAC based dimmer.

FIG. 20 shows waveforms of the input current and DC bus voltage of theballast in FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 provides an EMI reduction embodiment where a conductive materialin contact with the ferromagnetic core of the power coupler is wrappedfrom the inside of the core to the outside of the windings on the core.

FIG. 22A shows a method of attaching the flag.

FIG. 22B shows a method of attaching the flag.

FIG. 22C shows two flag orientations.

FIG. 22D shows a folded flag in two different orientations.

FIG. 22E shows a folded flag and a starting in aid in two differentorientations.

FIG. 23 shows a Paschen-like curve.

While described in connection with certain exemplary and non-limitingembodiments, other exemplary embodiments would be understood by one ofordinary skill in the art and are encompassed herein. It is thereforeunderstood that, as used herein, all references to an “embodiment” or“embodiments” refer to an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment orembodiments, respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An induction-driven electrodeless discharge lamp, hereafter referred tosynonymously as an induction lamp, an electrodeless lamp, or anelectrodeless fluorescent lamp, excites a gas within a lamp envelopethrough an electric field created by a time-varying magnetic fieldrather than through electrically conductive connections (such aselectrodes) that physically protrude into the envelope. Since theelectrodes are a limiting factor in the life of a lamp, eliminating thempotentially extends the life that may be expected from the light source.In addition, because there are no metallic electrodes within theenvelope, the burner design may employ high efficiency materials thatwould otherwise react with the electrodes, such as bromine, chlorine,iodine, and the like, and mixtures thereof, such as sodium iodide andcerium chloride. Embodiments described herein disclose an inductormounted inside a re-entrant cavity protruding upward within the burnerenvelope, where the inductor is at least one coil, which may be woundaround a core of magnetizable material suitable for operation at thefrequency of the time-varying magnetic field, such as ferrite or ironpowder, to form the power coupler that creates the time-varying magneticfield that generates the time-varying electric field in the lamp'sinterior. The power coupler receives electrical power from ahigh-frequency power supply, known as a ballast, which in embodiments isintegrated within the base of the induction lamp. The ballast in turnreceives electrical power through a standard base, such as an EdisonScrew Base (E39, E26, E17 or E12 base), a GU-24 base, and the like, fromthe AC mains. The form factor for the induction lamp may take a formsimilar to a standard incandescent light bulb, (A19 shape) or anincandescent reflector lamp, such as an R30 or BR30, thus allowing it tobe used as a replacement for incandescent light bulbs.

Referring to FIG. 1, an embodiment of an induction lamp 100 isillustrated, having an ‘upper’ light providing portion 102 (i.e., thelight delivery end, understanding that the lamp may be mounted in anyorientation per the lamp socket position), a ‘lower’ electronics portion104 (i.e. the opposite of the light delivery end), and anelectrical-mechanical base connection (e.g. an Edison base), where theproportions and shape of the upper and lower portions of the inductionlamp are illustrative, and not meant to be limiting in any way. Inembodiments, the upper portion may include the burner envelope 108 withan induction power coupler 110 (comprising winding(s), and optionally acore as described herein) inserted up into a re-entrant cavity 112,where the induction power coupler creates the time-varying magneticfield that, in turn, creates the time-varying electric field within theburner envelop. The burner envelope contains an amalgam that providesmercury vapor. The mercury atoms in the vapor are then both ionized andexcited by the time-varying electric field. The excited mercury atomsemit small amounts of visible light plus much larger amounts ofultraviolet energy that is then converted into visible light by aphosphor coating on the inside of the burner envelope, thus theinduction lamp provides light to the outside environment.

In embodiments, the external appearance of the upper portion withrespect to its optical properties may be similar to traditionalphosphor-based lighting devices, where the glass is substantially whitedue to the phosphor coating on the inside of the envelope. The externalappearance of the lower portion with respect to its optical propertiesmay be made to be substantially similar to the upper portion in order tominimize the differences in the appearance of the upper and lowerportions, thus minimizing the overall visual differences between theexternal appearance of the disclosed induction lamp bulb and that of atraditional incandescent bulb, such as having external materials thatare similar to the external materials of the upper bulbous portion (e.g.vitreous or vitreous-coated materials).

In embodiments, the induction lamp may be structured with an upperbulbous portion, an electronics portion in the neck or tapered portionof the bulb, a screw base (e.g. Edison base), and the like, where theelectronics portion may either show externally as a separate lowerportion, such as with the upper portion seated within the neck of thelower portion, or the lower portion may be completely encased within anextended upper portion. That is, the bulbous portion may extend downover the electronics portion as a vitreous envelope all the way to thescrew base. In this way, the induction lamp may look nearly identical toan ordinary incandescent light bulb, at least when the induction lightbulb is turned on and illuminating, and optionally designed to look thesame when illuminated due to an optical design to illuminate down theneck of the induction bulb that is around the electronics portion.

Although FIG. 1, as well as FIGS. 11-12B, shows the electronics (e.g.,the ballast) located in the lower portion 104 below the power couplerinside the re-entrant cavity, this is meant to be illustrative, and notlimiting, where the electronics may be of a size that fits in a reducedportion of the neck of the bulb, located wholly inside the screw base138, located inside the reentrant cavity 112, and the like.

Referring to FIG. 1A, the induction lamp may have the approximate shapeand dimensions of an ordinary incandescent bulb, with a dimension D_(B)at the widest point of the bulbous portion 102 being within the NEMAANSI standards for electric lamps, which sets forth the physical andelectrical characteristics of the group of incandescent lamps that haveA, G, PS and similar bulb shapes with E26 medium screw bases. The NEMAANSI C78.20-2003 standard for electric lamps is incorporated herein inits entirety. Although the standard provides the outer most bounds forthe specified lamps, the common dimensions for said specified bulbs maybe substantially within these ranges. Thus the dimensionality of theinduction lamp may be approximately equivalent to those of the ordinaryincandescent bulb as manufactured as opposed to the maximum dimensionsas specified in the standard, thereby effectively providing areplacement for an ordinary incandescent bulb that matches the user'sexpectation of the profile and size of an ordinary incandescent bulb.

In an example, and per said referenced NEMA ANSI standard, the maximumfor the dimension D_(B-A19) at the widest point of the bulbous portion102 of an A19 bulb is set out to be in the range 68 to 69.5 millimeters.However, in a typical 60 W incandescent A19 bulb D_(B-A19) isapproximately 60.3 mm (or approximately 2⅜ inches, where ‘A19’ refers toan ‘A’ profile width D_(B-A19) of 19 times ⅛ inch). Similarly, theoverall length D_(H-A19) of an A19 bulb from the bottom of the screwportion to the top of the bulbous portion is specified in the NEMA ANSIstandard to be in the range between 100 to 112.7 millimeters fordifferent length versions of the A19 form factor, but the typical 60 Wincandescent A19 bulb is approximately 108 millimeters.

In embodiments, the lower portion 104 may take the form of a concavetapering neck that has a maximum tapering diameter D_(T-A19)substantially less than D_(B-A19) into which the upper portion 102 maybe seated, such as at an upper-lower interface point 140. Theupper-lower interface point 140 may have a maximum diameter where thetapering concave shape of the neck meets the spherical bulbous upperportion 102 that is less than the diameter of the sphere as in anordinary incandescent bulb, such as approximately 45 mm millimeters plusor minus a tolerance, such as +/−3 mm, +/−2 mm, +/−1 mm, and the like.From the upper-lower interface point 140 the neck may taper in a concaveform to the lower-cap interface point 142 at the top of the screw mount138, such as similar to a typical incandescent bulb. In embodiments, thetaper may be such that there is less than a thirty degree angle betweenthe surface of the lower portion 104 that runs from interface point 142to 140 and a central axis running through the lamp from the screw mount138 to the top of the bulbous portion 102. The bulbous portion 102 maybe constructed such that it forms a partial sphere having a radius thatis one-half of D_(B-A19). This may result in the bulbous portion beingseated in the neck of the lower portion 104 so that more than ahemisphere of the partial sphere sits above the neck of the lowerportion 104. In embodiments, the upper portion 102 and lower portion 104may be connected in a manner that makes their separationindistinguishable to the viewer, such as by using appropriate overlay orcoating materials, or by fashioning a seamless connection between thetwo portions.

Referring to FIG. 1B, the induction lamp may have the approximate shapeand dimensions of an ordinary incandescent bulged reflector bulb, with adimension D_(B-BR30) at the widest point of the bulbous portion 146being within the NEMA ANSI standards for electric lamps, which setsforth the physical and electrical characteristics of the group of bulkreflector lamps that have BR and similar bulb shapes with E26 mediumscrew bases. The NEMA ANSI C78.21-2003 standard for electric lamps isincorporated herein in its entirety. Although the standard provides theouter most bounds for the specified lamps, the common dimensions forsaid specified bulbs may be substantially within these ranges. Thus thedimensionality of the induction bulged reflector lamp may beapproximately equivalent to those of the ordinary bulged reflector bulbas manufactured as opposed to the maximum dimensions as specified in thestandard, thereby effectively providing a replacement for an ordinarybulged reflective bulb that matches the user's expectation of theprofile and size of an ordinary bulged reflective bulb.

In an example, and per said referenced NEMA ANSI standard, the maximumfor the dimension D_(B-BR30) at the widest point of the bulbous portion146 of BR30 bulb is 108.5 millimeters. However, in a typical 65 Wincandescent BR30 bulb D_(B-BR30) is approximately 95.3 mm (orapproximately 3¾ inches, where ‘BR30’ refers to an BR′ profile widthD_(B-BR30) of 30 times ⅛ inch). Similarly, the overall length D_(H-BR30)of a BR30 bulb from the bottom of the screw portion to the top of thebulbous portion is specified in the NEMA ANSI standard to be in therange between 123.8 to 136.5 millimeters for different length versionsof the BR30 form factor, but the typical 65 W incandescent BR30 bulb isapproximately 129.5-136.5 millimeters (5.13-5.375 inches).

In embodiments, the lower portion 152 may take the form of anapproximately vertical rise from the base, D_(R-BR30), to a minimumheight of 46.7 millimeters, which is substantially less than the minimumoverall bulb height of 123.8 millimeters. The lower portion 104 may havea maximum diameter D_(T-BR30) of 43.1 millimeters plus or minus atolerance, such as +/−3 mm, +/−2 mm, +/−1 mm, and the like. From theupper-lower interface point 144 the bulb may angle up and outward atapproximately 54° from the normal to the central axis running throughthe lamp from the screw mount 138 to the top of the bulbous portion 150where the sides round radially toward the center of the bulb. At the topof the bulbous portion 150 the lamp is approximately planar. Inembodiments, the upper portion 154 and lower portion 152 may beconnected in a manner that makes their separation indistinguishable tothe viewer, such as by using appropriate overlay or coating materials,or by fashioning a seamless connection between the two portions.

In embodiments, the electronics to operate the lamp are designed andpackaged in such a way that they may be fully contained within the lamp,within the confines of a standard lamp base such as an E26 medium screwbase, within the bottom portion 104 152 of the lamp bulb, within are-entrant cavity, and the like. Techniques may include selection ofcomponents, including the migration of inductive components to thosewithout ferromagnetic cores, selection of circuit board technologyincluding flexible and printed circuit boards, the use of IC mountingtechniques such as flip chip, also known as controlled collapse chipconnection, wire bonding, and the like.

In embodiments, the induction lamp may be made to approximate the shapeand dimensions for any standard bulb, such that it is betteraccommodated by lighting fixtures designed for the standard bulb, aswell as being generally more familiar to the public, and thus moreacceptable as a replacement bulb for commonly used incandescent bulbs.As such, despite the range tolerances provided in the NEMA ANSIstandards, the induction lamp may be of a shape that is similar to anordinary incandescent lamp, such as would be familiar to a member of thepublic, but with the possibility that a segment exists between the upperbulbous portion 102 and the lower electronics portion 104 as describedherein.

In embodiments, other dimensional aspects of the induction lamp may bedetermined by the selection of a profile and size of the induction bulbto that of a typical incandescent bulb, such as an A19 bulb, a BR30 bulband the like. For instance, the dimensions of the re-entrant cavity 112and/or the power coupler 110 may be at least in part determined by theshape and/or size of the bulbous portion 102 of the induction lamp,where the shape of the power coupler 110 as accommodated in there-entrant cavity 112 determines where the resultant field strength ismaximized within the envelope. It may be ideal to have the strengthmaximized in the plane of the maximum dimension of D_(B), such as in thecentermost portion of the volume between the re-entrant cavity and theouter wall of the envelope. In this regard, the shape and positioning ofthe power coupler 110, and the re-entrant cavity 112 it resides in, mayinclude dimensional attributes that improve lamp performance within thedimensional constraints of a typical incandescent bulb.

In embodiments, the induction lamp may include other aspects thatcontribute to acceptance and compatibility with existing incandescentlighting, such as with dimming compatibility to existing externalcircuitry (e.g. dimming switches that employ TRIAC or MOSFET switches)and lighting characteristics similar to an incandescent lamp (e.g.brightness level, low flicker, matching color rendering, matching colortemperature, and the like). In this way, the induction lamp willsubstantially resemble a traditional incandescent light bulb, increasingthe sense of familiarity of the new induction lamp with the publicthrough association with the incandescent lamp, and thus helping to gainacceptance and greater use for replacement of incandescent lightsources.

The induction lamp described in embodiments herein may provide forimproved capabilities associated with the design, operation, andfabrication of an induction lamp, including in association with theballast 114, thermal design 118, dimming 120, burner 122, magneticinduction 124, lighting characteristics 128, bulb characteristics 130,management and control 132, input energy 134, and the like. The ballast,as located in the lower portion of the induction lamp, is thehigh-frequency power supply that takes mains AC as provided through thebase 138, and creates the high-frequency electrical power delivered tothe power coupler located in the re-entrant cavity in the upper portion.Improved capabilities associated with the ballast design may includedimming facilities, EMI filter, a rectifier, a power factor correctionfacility, output driver, circuitry with reduced harmonic distortion, apower savings mode with on-off cycles, lamp start-up, lamp warm-up,power management, and the like. Improved capabilities may provide for adesign that provides a compatible thermal environment, such as through astatic thermal design, through dynamic power management, and the like.

Improved capabilities associated with the dimming design may include adimming mechanism, dimming compatibility, a compatible dimmingperformance relative to a dimming curve, an automatic shutdown circuit,a minimum lumen output, and the like. Dimming capabilities may includemethods for dimming and/or TRIAC trigger and holding currents, includingfrequency dimming, frequency dimming and handshake with TRIAC firingangle, circuits without a traditional smoothing capacitor and with anauxiliary power supply, burst mode dimming, multiple-capacitor off-cyclevalley filling circuit, frequency slewing, auto shut-off dimmingcircuit, current pass-through, utilization of bipolar transistor,holding current pulsed resistor, charge pump, buck or boost converter,and the like.

Improved capabilities associated with the burner design may includeaspects related to the size, shape, gas pressure, gas type, phosphortype, materials, EMI reduction via core and/or coupler shielding,methods to reduce light output run-up time, improved lumen maintenancethrough improved burner processing, use of protective coatings on burnersurfaces or improved materials for fabricating the burner envelope andreentrant cavity, and the like.

Improved capabilities associated with the magnetic induction design mayinclude the operating frequency range, electro-magnetic radiationmanagement, reduced electro-magnetic interference utilizing active andpassive magnetic induction windings, improved axial alignment throughradial spacers, or a grounded shell inserted to the ferromagnetic core,internal transparent conductive coatings, external transparentconductive coating with insulating overcoat, electrical field shieldbetween the coupler and the re-entrant cavity, and the like.

Improved light characteristics provided may include warm-up time,brightness, luminous flux (lumens), flicker, color rendering index,color temperature, lumen maintenance, incandescent-like lighting in amagnetic induction electrodeless lamp, high red rendering indexlighting, increased R9, and the like.

Improved lamp characteristics provided may include a bulb base design,globe material, globe shape operating temperature range, bulbtemperature, size parameters, instant on electrodeless lamp forresidential applications, electrodeless lamp for frequent on/off andmotion detector applications, and the like.

Improved capabilities associated with the management and control mayinclude color control, lumen output control, power management,susceptibility to line voltage changes, component variations and/ortemperature changes, interaction with other systems, remote controloperation (e.g. activation, deactivation, dimming, color rendering), andthe like.

Improved capabilities associated with the input source may include ACinput voltage, AC input frequency, and other input profile parameters.

Ballast

The ballast is a special power supply that converts power line voltageand current to the voltage and current required to operate the burner.In the U.S. the ballast generally operates from a 120 Volt, 60 Hz ACpower line, but the ballast could be designed to operate from AC powerlines with different voltages and/or frequencies, or from DC power lineswith a range of voltages. Ballasts that are designed forinduction-driven electrodeless discharge lamps convert the power linevoltage and current into voltage and current with a frequency in therange of 50 kHz to 50 GHz, depending upon the design of the lamp. Forthe type of induction lamps described in the present disclosure, theballast output frequency is generally in the 1 MHz to 30 MHz region.

The ballast provides a number of functions in addition to the basicfrequency, voltage and current conversion functions. The other keyfunctions include: a) providing a means to generate the high voltagesnecessary to start the discharge; b) limiting the current that can bedelivered to the discharge, and c) reducing the power delivered to thedischarge to reduce the light produced when commanded to do so by auser-operated control, i.e., a dimmer.

The conversion from power line voltages and currents to the voltages andcurrents used to operate the discharge are usually accomplished in atwo-step process. In the first step, the power line voltage and currentis converted into DC voltage, usually by means of a full wave bridgerectifier and optionally an energy storage capacitor (e.g. anelectrolytic storage capacitor to smooth ripple after the rectifierstage). In the second step, the DC power created by the bridge rectifieris converted into high frequency AC power at the desired frequency bymeans of an inverter. The most common inverter used in discharge lampballasts is a half-bridge inverter. Half-bridge inverters are composedof two switches, usually semiconductor switches, connected in seriesacross the DC power bus. The output terminals of the half-bridgeinverter are 1) the junction between the two switches, and 2) eitherside of the DC power bus for the inverter. The half-bridge inverter maybe driven by feedback from the matching network described herein or aseparate drive circuit. The former is called a “self-oscillatinghalf-bridge inverter” while the latter would be called a “drivenhalf-bridge inverter.”

In addition to half-bridge inverters, the inverter can be configured asa push-pull circuit using two switches, or as a flyback or Class E orother such converter using a single switch.

The switch or switches used for the inverter can be composed of bi-polartransistors, Field Effect Transistors (FETs), or other types ofsemiconductor switching elements such as TRIACs or Insulated GateBi-Polar Transistors (IGBTs), or they can even be composed of vacuumtubes. Ballasts designed for induction lamps generally employ FETs inthe inverter.

The output voltage of a half-bridge inverter is typically composed ofboth DC and AC components. Therefore, at least one DC blocking capacitoris typically connected in series with the induction lamp load when it isconnected to the half-bridge inverter. Additionally a matching networkis connected between the output of the half-bridge inverter and theinduction-driven lamp load. The matching network provides at least thefollowing four functions: 1) convert the input impedance of the couplerdescribed herein to an impedance that can be efficiently driven by thehalf-bridge inverter, 2) provide a resonant circuit that can be used togenerate the high voltages necessary to initiate the discharge in theburner, 3) provide the current-limiting function that is required by thefact that the discharge has what is known as “negative incrementalimpedance” which would cause it to draw high levels of current from thehalf-bridge inverter if that current was not limited by some means, and4) filter the waveform of the half-bridge inverter, which is generally asquare wave, to extract the sine wave at the fundamental frequency ofthe half-bridge inverter. This last step is necessary to reducegeneration by the coupler and burner of electromagnetic radiation atharmonics of the fundamental drive frequency of the half-bridgeinverter.

The matching network is typically composed of a resonant circuit that isused to generate high voltage to start the discharge in the burner andthen provides the current limiting function after the discharge has beeninitiated. This resonant circuit is often designed as a series resonantL-C circuit with the lamp connected across the resonant capacitor.However, other configurations are possible. The coupler used withinduction lamps is inductive, so the matching network for an inductionlamp could be a series C-L with the discharge “connected” across theinductor by virtue of the inductive coupling inherent in such lamps.However, better performance is often achieved with an L-C-L circuit thatuses the inductance of the coupler in addition to a separate inductorand capacitor. Other matching networks that employ additional inductorsand/or capacitors are known in the art.

Since the half-bridge inverter is operating at a frequency substantiallyabove the power line frequency, it is also generally equipped with whatis known as an “EMI filter” where it is connected to the power line. TheEMI filter is designed to reduce the level of high frequency noise thatthe half-bridge inverter injects into the AC power line. To achieve thisfunction, the EMI filter is generally designed as a low pass filter witha cut-off frequency below the operating frequency of the inverter.

Ballasts that employ the basic AC-to-DC converter stage describedherein, consisting of a full wave bridge rectifier and an energy storagecapacitor, will usually draw current from the AC power line only nearthe peak of the AC voltage waveform. This leads to what is known as “lowpower factor” and “high total harmonic distortion.” Low power factor andhigh harmonic distortion are not serious issues for many consumerapplications, but would create problems in commercial and industrialapplications. Low power factor is also undesirable in consumerapplications if the ballast is to be used on a circuit controlled by aTRIAC-based incandescent lamp dimmer.

The TRIACs used in conventional lamp dimmers expect the lamp load todraw current during all parts of the power line cycle. This current isused by the dimmer to charge the TRIAC firing circuits at the start ofthe each power line half-cycle, and to maintain the TRIAC in the “on”state until the voltage drops to zero before changing polarity everyhalf-cycle. A conventional low power factor circuit draws current onlyduring a small part of the power line cycle; the part of the cycle whenthe power line voltage is near its peak value. TRIAC-based dimmerstherefore do not work properly when driving ordinary low power factorballasts.

Ballasts can be modified in at least the following five ways to makethem compatible with TRIAC-based dimmers:

In embodiments, a special “active power factor correction” circuit canbe added to the ballast. This is typically a separate power conversionstage such as a buck or boost converter that is designed to draw currentfrom the AC power line over essentially the full AC cycle. The currentdrawn generally has a sinusoidal wave shape.

In embodiments, a “charge pump” circuit can be used to feed some of theenergy from the output of the ballast back to the input, and use thisenergy to draw small amounts of current from the AC power line at thefrequency of the high frequency inverter. Charge pump circuits cancreate a sinusoidal input current, like that produced by an active powerfactor correction stage, or they can draw smaller currents that are nothigh enough to create a sinusoidal current input but are still highenough to provide TRIAC trigger and holding current.

In embodiments, the single energy storage capacitor may be replaced withtwo or more energy storage capacitors connected in such a way that theycharge in series but discharge in parallel. These so-called “passivevalley fill” circuits will draw current over a greater portion of the ACcycle than a single power line frequency energy storage capacitor,leading to improved power factor and lower total harmonic distortion.

In embodiments, the energy storage capacitor can be removed completely,or separated from the output of the full wave bridge rectifier, so thatthe circuit naturally draws power over most of the AC cycle. This typeof circuit may benefit from the addition of an auxiliary power supplythat can provide enough power keep the lamp operating when the powerline voltage drops to a low value as it changes polarity twice eachcycle.

In embodiments, an impedance element, such as a resistor or capacitorcan be connected to the output of the full wave bridge so that somecurrent is drawn from the AC power line over the full AC cycle, evenwhen the remainder of the ballast is using power stored in the energystorage capacitor and not drawing current from the AC power line.Further, the impedance element can be switched in and out of the circuitat a frequency higher than the power line frequency, or have its valueadjusted by a control circuit so as to provide the required currentload, while minimizing power loss.

In embodiments, a dimming device load control facility may enable theinduction RF fluorescent lamp to provide for electrical loads requiredfor the proper operation of an external control dimming device, thedimming device load control facility controlling an electrical load orimpedance element that may be switched in and out of connectivity withinthe electronic ballast to provide a load for the external dimmingdevice. The electrical load or impedance element is switched out of thecircuit during on-time intervals of the external dimming device andswitched into the circuit during off-time intervals of the externaldimming device.

The dimming device load control facility may comprise processor-basedmanagement and control facilities, such as with a microcontroller, adigital processor, embedded processor, microprocessor, digital logic,and the like. The methods and systems described herein may be deployedin part or in whole through a machine that executes computer software,program codes, and/or instructions on a processor, and implemented as amethod on the machine, as a system or apparatus as part of or inrelation to the machine, or as a computer program product embodied in acomputer readable medium executing on one or more of the machines. Theprocessor may be at least in part implemented in conjunction with or incommunication with a server, client, network infrastructure (e.g. theInternet), mobile computing platform, stationary computing platform,cellular network infrastructure and associated mobile devices (e.g.cellular phone), or other computing platform. The integrated circuitelectronics may comprise a single package with a combination of analogand digital integrated control circuits.

The microcontroller or the like may determine the operational state ofthe induction RF lamp, running, start-up, or off, by monitoringoperational characteristics of the induction RF lamp includingtransformer voltage, coupler voltage, coupler current, and the like.Transformations may be done on the collected operational characteristicsand they may be compared against set parameters, previously storedvalues of the operational characteristics, ratios of current to previousvalues and the like.

In embodiments, the dimming device load control facility may detect thepresence of an external dimming control device and switch in a load. Inembodiments, the dimming device load control facility may detect thetype of external dimming control device such as leading-edge type,trailing-edge type, smart type, and the like, and automatically adjustthe control of the switched electrical load based on the detected devicetype. Control adjustments may comprise where in the AC power cycle theinduction load is switched in and out of the electrical circuit. Theswitching of electrical load based on the detected external dimmingcontrol device type may be optimized to improve induction RF lampperformance such as reducing flicker in the lamp, reducing powerconsumption and noise and the like.

Burner

The burner is constructed of a transparent or translucent vitreousmaterial formed in the shape of the desired light-emitting element. Forthe type of induction lamp described herein, an open cylindrical cavity,often referred to as a reentrant cavity, penetrates one side of theouter jacket of the burner. The inner surface of the burner and thesurface on the partial vacuum side of the reentrant cavity are typicallycoated with at least one material, called ‘phosphor’ in the lampindustry, that converts ultraviolet energy into visible light. Thecoating may Aluminum Oxide, Al₂0₃, phosphor, mixed Aluminum Oxide, Al₂0₃and phosphor, and the like. The partial vacuum surface of the reentrantcavity may first be coated with a reflective material, such as magnesiumoxide (MgO) or the like, before the phosphor is applied. Such reflectivematerial reduces the amount of light lost to the air side of thereentrant cavity and thus increases the burner efficacy.

The partial vacuum surfaces of the burner may be optionally coated withan initial thin, transparent or translucent barrier layer, commonly Alon(fine particulate Aluminum Oxide, Al₂O₃), or “pre-coat” which may reducechemical interactions between the phosphor and the glass, the mercury(Hg) and the glass, and may help adhesion of the phosphor to the glass.The burner is evacuated and then filled with a rare gas, such as Neon,Argon or Krypton generally at a pressure of 13 Pascal to 250 Pascal. Theouter bulb and reentrant cavity are generally made from glass, such assoda lime glass or borosilicate glass.

The performance of the burner is a function of the dimensions of theouter bulb used to form the burner, the dimensions of the reentrantcavity, the type of rare gas fill, the pressure of the rare gas fill,the pressure of the mercury vapor (which, as is described below, is afunction of the amalgam composition and the amalgam temperature), thequality of the phosphor, the thickness and particle size of the phosphorcoating, the process used to burn the binder out of the phosphor, andthe quality of the exhaust process.

In addition to the rare gas described above, a small amount of mercuryis added to the burner before it is sealed. Often times, in order toextend the ambient temperature range of operation of an induction lamp,a mercury amalgam is used instead of pure mercury. While this allows thelamp to operate at elevated ambient temperatures (for example in hotfixtures), at room temperatures or lower ambient temperatures it maytake a longer time to obtain the full light output due to the very lowmercury pressure before the lamp warms up to operating temperature. Thisis referred to as ‘run-up time’, and a long run-up time (e.g., 30seconds or longer) is not desired, especially in residentialapplications. The mercury is commonly combined with other metals, suchas bismuth, tin, indium or lead to form an amalgam. For example the mainamalgam composition may range from 10% by weight of indium to 98% byweight of indium. The composition of the primary mercury amalgam willinfluence the mercury vapor pressure during steady state operation;therefore, the choice of composition of mercury amalgam may beinfluenced by a desire to optimize the mercury vapor pressure andcorresponding light output at the steady state operating temperatures ofthe burner

The mercury or mercury amalgam is typically placed in at least twolocations in the burner. For instance, a ‘main’ amalgam may be placed inthe sealed end of the exhaust tube. A second amalgam may be placed inbulbous envelope such as on top of the re-entrant cavity, at the base ofthe bulb or the like. Either of the main and secondary amalgams, orboth, may be encapsulated in glass or other material during thepreparation and evacuation of the burner cavity to minimize the loss ofmercury during manufacturing. The encapsulation may be breached using alaser, mechanical perforation, radio-frequency heating system or otherdevice after the burner cavity has been sealed enabling mercuryvaporized during subsequent heating to diffuse into the burner cavity.

Flag

In embodiments, one or more flags, comprising a material with whichmercury may create an amalgam, are positioned in the main part of theburner cavity. After an initial run-time, the burner is turned off andsome of the mercury vapor released into the burner cavity duringoperation will settle on the inside surfaces of the burner cavity,migrate back to a main or secondary initial amalgam, settle on one ormore flags and the like. The vapor that condenses on the one or moreflags may create an amalgam, while the remaining mercury in the burnerwill either migrate back to a main or secondary amalgam or eventuallyfind its way to one or more flags, further enriching the flag amalgamwith mercury. The mercury in the flag amalgam may be released morequickly during subsequent lamp starts than the mercury in the mainamalgam, thereby shortening the run-up time considerably. The dischargecreated by the induced electric field will ideally heat the flag,releasing the amalgamated mercury on the flag before the temperature ofthe main amalgam, located below the power coupler, or a secondaryamalgam located above the coupler is sufficiently heated to vaporize themercury at that location.

In embodiments, the flag may be attached to the bulb in severaldifferent ways, such as shown in FIGS. 22A and 22B. FIG. 22A shows aflag 2202 with a pin 2204 that is embedded into the cavity wall 2208.FIG. 22B shows a flag 2210 with a pin 2212 that is mechanically placedin the lamp without the need for an additional seal.

However, placement of the flag in the main part of the burner cavityalone still may not provide satisfactory performance for residentialapplications, where consumer studies have indicated that the end usertypically requires at least 70-80% of the final light output in lessthan one second. This can be described as a relative light output (RLO)of 70-80%. The present disclosure describes a new flag design, withsize, configuration, and materials combination so as to yield asignificantly shorter time frame with respect to a goal of a 70-80% RLO(as compared to the final steady state value). In embodiments, the flagconfiguration may comprise the number of flags, radial distance of theflag or flags from the surface of the reentrant cavity, verticalposition of the flag or flags along the length of the reentrant cavity,orientation of the flag or flags relative to the reentrant cavity, thelength, width and thickness of the flag, the material used to fabricatethe flag, the shape of the reentrant cavity, and the like. The flagconfiguration may be optimized to provide short run-up time whilemaintaining high efficiency during steady state operation.

In embodiments, the induction lamp described herein may provide for arapid build-up of luminosity during the starting of the lamp. The flagmay be positioned within the lamp envelope so as to maximize lampmaintenance. The flag may be positioned inside the lamp envelope so asto enable a minimum cost and practical placement for manufacturing ofthe lamp with high-speed equipment. The induction lamp described hereinmay provide for a very large number of multiple lamp starts, such asmany tens of thousands, without suffering poor maintenance or drop inRLO at a specific time after start.

The induction power coupler creates a time-varying magnetic field that,in turn, creates a first time-varying electric field within the burnerenvelope. The time-varying magnetic field is aligned parallel to thecavity axis and the first component of the time-varying electric fieldis aligned perpendicular to the time-varying magnetic field andencircles that field. Electrical breakdown of the burner gas occurs inthe presence of the established electric field and a time varyingcurrent is established in the direction of the electric field. Withinthis field may be placed a first metallic object, flag, which issubstantially flat along a plane and having a normal perpendicular tothe plane. The orientation of the flag relative to the cavity axis, andthus the flag's orientation relative to the time-varying electric fieldand current, determines the effective surface area of the flagperpendicular to the time-varying induced electric field. The flag maybe positioned so the normal of the surface of the flag is directedradially, toward the coupler (or “parallel” to the cavity axis). In thisposition, the normal of the surface of the flag is oriented at an angleof 0 degrees relative to the normal of the surface of the re-entrantcavity. Alternately the flag may be positioned so that the normal of thesurface of the flag is directed in the azimuthal direction (or“perpendicular” to the re-entrant cavity axis). In this position, thenormal of the surface of the flag is oriented at an angle of 90 degreesrelative to the normal of the surface of the re-entrant cavity. In otherembodiments, the flag may be oriented at some angle between theseorientations. FIG. 22C shows these two different orientations forplacing the flag with respect to the axis of the cavity, with the flag2214 mounted “perpendicular” to the vertical axis of the cavity with thenormal of the surface of the flag oriented at an angle of 90 degreesrelative to the normal of the surface of the re-entrant cavity and theflag 2218 mounted “parallel” to the cavity axis (wherein the structureof the flag 2218 is not seen in the view because the normal of the flagis in the plane of the drawing sheet). The flag 2218 is mounted suchthat the normal of the surface of the flag is oriented at an angle of 0degrees relative to the normal of the surface of the re-entrant cavity.Note also that the illustrated representation of the structure of theflags 2214 2218 are one of a plurality of possible structuralconfigurations, and are not meant to be limiting in any way.

In preferred embodiments, the flag is oriented such that the angle ofthe normal of the surface of the flag relative to the normal of thesurface of the re-entrant cavity approaches 90 degrees. In embodiments,the flag 2214, with its “perpendicular” orientation to the cavity axisand larger surface area perpendicular to the time-varying electricfield, may enable increased interaction with the current driven by thetime-varying induced electric field. This in turn may facilitate fasterheating of the flag element and faster introduction of mercury vaporinto the burner envelope, thus reducing warm-up time.

In some embodiments the first flag 2220 material may be a solid piece ofmetal. In other embodiments, a metal mesh may be used for the first flag2220 to provide multiple sharp edges that may act as field enhancementpoints. In embodiments, a mesh material may also be used in place of asolid material to reduce the mass of the first flag 2220, which may leadto more rapid warm-up. The mesh may comprise a cut metal that has beenexpanded, woven wires, punched metal and the like. The metal of flag,mesh or solid, may comprise steel, stainless steel, nickel, titanium,molybdenum, tantalum and the like. The metal of the first flag 2220 maybe plated with Indium or the like to facilitate the formation of anamalgam with the mercury. The first flag 2220 may be substantially flatalong a plane. In embodiments, the surface area of the flag with respectto the time-varying electric field may be increased by folding the flagmaterial into two or more sections, such as aligned parallel to oneanother in close proximity or constrained along the plane. An example ofthis is shown in FIG. 22D. Folded flag 2220A is positioned with aperpendicular orientation to the cavity axis and, in contrast, foldedflag 2220B is positioned with a parallel orientation to the cavity axis.

In embodiments, the one or more first flags 2220 may be positionedbetween 0 and 12 mm radially outward from the surface of the re-entrantcavity and between the re-entrant cavity and the outer wall of theenvelope. In preferred embodiments the one or more first flags 2220 maybe positioned between 2 and 5 mm from the re-entrant cavity and betweenthe re-entrant cavity and the outer wall of the envelope. The positionof the flag within the main part of the burner cavity affects the energybeing absorbed by the flag structure. For instance, the magnitude of thetime-varying electric field falls off with distance from the axis of thecoupler. The distance of the flag to the coupler also correlates tobreakdown voltage. The relationship of breakdown voltage to the productof gas pressure and distance between the electrodes appears to besimilar to a Paschen-like curve, an example of which is shown in FIG.23. At a single pressure, a Paschen-like curve describing breakdownvoltage is a function of distance alone for a mono-component gas, suchas a rare gas. At a single distance, the Paschen-like curve describingbreakdown voltage is a function of pressure alone. When both thedistance and pressure are changed, a Paschen-like curve describingbreakdown voltage is a function of the product of the distance and thepressure. It may be desirable to co-optimize the distance of the flagfrom the coupler together with the pressure within the burner envelopein such a way that the breakdown voltage is low at both start-up, whenthe gas in the burner is predominantly rare gas, and during steady stateoperation, when the pressure within the burner is slightly higher anddue to the small admixture of mercury vapor pressure. In general, theshape of the Paschen-like curve remains similar as mercury is added tothe rare gas filling, but the magnitude of breakdown voltage is loweredand the minimum shifts to a different value of the product of gaspressure and distance.

If the rare gas used is Argon, the starting voltage will be much lowerdue to the well known Penning effect, in which the ionization of themercury is greatly enhanced by collisions with Argon metastable atoms.The Penning effect will dominate in many Mercury-Argon discharges andmay be the main driver for flag placement in burners with Mercury andArgon, where it may be preferable to place the flag in the center of theburner space, such as mid-way between the reentrant cavity and the outerwall of the bulb.

In a preferred embodiment where the rare gas is a mix of mercury andkrypton, the breakdown voltage may approach a minimum at an optimumproduct of distance and gas pressure. As the product of flag location(distance from the re-entrant cavity) and gas pressure goes belowoptimum, voltage needed to initiate the arc in the plasma increasesdramatically. Alternately, as the product of radial distance of the flagfrom the coupler and gas pressure increases beyond the optimum, thevoltage required to initiate the arc in the plasma beings to increaseslowly. At room temperature start-up, the mercury pressure inside theburner cavity will be lower than at steady-state operation. The pressureinside the burner cavity begins to rise as the mercury amalgam on theflag is heated and mercury released. Subsequently, the amalgampositioned below the coupler may be heated and additional mercury vaporreleased into the burner cavity. At the lower initial pressure, it maybe desirable to position the flag at an increased distance from thecoupler to achieve a low breakdown voltage near a Paschen-like minimum.However, a flag located at the greater distance from the power couplermay have reduced interaction with the time-varying current, leading toslow heating of the flag and the release of the mercury from the flagamalgam which would translate into a slower warm-up. It is thereforeadvantageous to consider the inclusion of multiple flags, each of whichis tasked with a definite purpose.

Positioning one or more flags at various radial distances from thecenterline of the cavity axis enables different flag-field interactions.In one embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 22E, one or more flags arepositioned within the burner cavity. A set of one or more first flags2220A, 2220B may be positioned in proximity to the coupler such thatinteraction with the electric field driven current is facilitated andrelease of mercury from the amalgam contained in this flag is optimized.Positioning this set of one or more first flags 2220, in thisillustration the folded flag 2220A or 2220B, closer to the coupler mayincrease the amount of heating by a combination of the electric fieldand the discharge due to positioning it close to the radial currentmaximum, which may result in more rapid heating of the flag and releaseof mercury into the re-entrant cavity

One or more starting aid flags 2224 may be located at a distance fromthe centerline of the cavity axis to facilitate optimization of theproduct of pressure and distance at the reduced pressure that may bepresent at lamp start-up. For instance, this starting aid flag 2224 maybe used to facilitate the initiation of the plasma by being positionedsuch that the breakdown voltage for the working gas mixture described bya Paschen-like curve is reduced relative to the location of the firstflag 2214. This starting aid flag 2224 may be positioned between thefirst flag 2214 and the outer wall of the burner envelope. This startingaid flag 2224 may provide a small, pointed surface area such as a wire,the edge of a foil or sheet, or the like to facilitate electricbreakdown of the working gas. This starting aid flag 2224 may be mountedto the surface of the re-entrant cavity. This starting aid flag 2224 maybe attached to the mount for another flag 2214 such as with a spot weld2228 or the like. This starting aid flag 2224 may be comprised of aconductive metal that is not reactive with mercury such as steel,stainless steel, nickel, molybdenum, tantalum or the like. It ispreferable that the starting aid flag 2224 not comprise materialssuitable for amalgam formation, such as indium and the like. FIG. 22E ismeant to be illustrative and is not limiting with respect to thepresence, type, position or orientation of the second flag.

In some embodiments the flag material may be a solid piece of metal. Inother embodiments, a metal mesh may be used for the flag to providemultiple sharp edges that may act as field enhancement points. When highvoltage is applied at starting, the flag charges like one electrode of acapacitor and the field is enhanced by the sharp edges, providingenhanced voltage needed for breakdown. In embodiments, a mesh materialmay also be used in place of a solid material to reduce the mass of theflag, which may lead to more rapid warm-up. The mesh may comprise a cutmetal that has been expanded, woven wires, punched metal and the like.The metal of flag, mesh or solid, may comprise steel, stainless steel,nickel, titanium, molybdenum, tantalum and the like.

Coupler

The coupler generates, the AC magnetic field that provides, throughmagnetic induction, the electric field that drives the discharge. Inaddition, the voltage across the coupler is used to start the dischargethrough capacitive coupling.

The AC magnetic field created by the coupler changes in both intensityand polarity at a high frequency, generally between 50 kHz and 50 GHz.In the preferred embodiment, the coupler is a multi-turn coil ofelectrically conductive wire that is connected to output of theinverter. The AC current produced by the inverter flows through the coiland creates an AC magnetic field at the frequency of the inverter. Thecoil can optionally be wound on a “soft” magnetic material such asferrite or iron powder that is chosen for its beneficial properties atthe frequency of the AC current. When a soft magnetic material is usedit can be formed in numerous shapes; such as a torus or a rod, or othershapes, depending upon the design of the burner. In the preferredembodiment, the coupler is formed from a coil of copper wire wound on arod-like ferrite tube. The ferrite is tubular in that it has a holealong the axis to allow passage of the exhaust tube of the burner. Forthe preferred embodiment, the operating frequency is 1 to 10 MHz.

In another embodiment, the frequency is increased to the 10 MHz to 50MHz range and the ferrite tube is removed and optionally replaced by arod or tube made from a material that has a magnetic permeabilityessentially the same as that of free space, and an electricalconductivity of zero, or close to zero. One type of material thatsatisfies these conditions is plastic. Couplers wound on rods or tubesthat satisfy the stated conditions are called ‘air-core couplers’ or‘air-core coils’. An air-core coil can also be fabricated without theuse of any rod-like or tubular coil form if the wire is sufficientlystiff or if the wire is supported by an external structure. The use ofan air-core coil may enable the printing of the coupler windings on theair side of the re-entrant, or removal of the reentrant and placementthe air coil directly in the bulb with electrical feedthroughs to theoutside, and the like.

The burner is designed to provide a discharge path that encircles thetime-varying magnetic field. As is known from Faraday's Law ofInduction, a voltage will be induced in any closed path that encircles atime varying magnetic field. That voltage will have the same frequencyas the frequency of time-varying magnetic field. This is the voltagethat drives the induction-coupled discharge.

The ferrite material is chosen for low power loss at the frequency ofthe AC current and at the magnetic flux density and temperature where itis designed to operate.

The number of turns on the coupler is chosen to provide a good impedancematch for the inverter when connected through the matching network. Itis generally desirable to have a coupler composed of at least 5 turns ofwire to ensure efficient coupling to the discharge, while it is alsodesirable to have the turns form a single layer winding on the ferrite,if used, or form a single layer coil if an air core is used. Thesepractical considerations set desirable lower and upper limits on thenumber of turns of the coil.

Management and Control

In embodiments, the induction lamp may include processor-basedmanagement and control facilities, such as with a microcontroller, adigital processor, embedded processor, microprocessor, digital logic,and the like. The methods and systems described herein may be deployedin part or in whole through a machine that executes computer software,program codes, and/or instructions on a processor, and implemented as amethod on the machine, as a system or apparatus as part of or inrelation to the machine, or as a computer program product embodied in acomputer readable medium executing on one or more of the machines. Theprocessor may be at least in part implemented in conjunction with or incommunication with a server, client, network infrastructure (e.g. theInternet), mobile computing platform, stationary computing platform,cellular network infrastructure and associated mobile devices (e.g.cellular phone), or other computing platform.

Management and control facilities may receive inputs from externalswitches on the induction lamp, from IR/RF remote control inputs fromremote controllers, and the like. For instance, an embedded controllermay receive settings via switches mounted on the lower portion of theinduction lamp, such as for color control, lumen output control, powersavings modes, dimmer compatibility, and the like. In an example, theremay be a switch setting to enable-disable dimming functionality, such asto provide a power savings as the result of disabling a dimmingfunctionality. In another instance, a remote control may be used tocontrol functions of the induction lamp, such as power management, lightcharacteristics settings, dimming control, on-off control, networkedcontrol settings, timer functions, and the like. In an example, theinduction lamp may be controlled through an RF remote control of theknown art where the induction lamp includes an RF receiver interfaced toan embedded processor, where the RF remote controller controls lightinglevels, such as on-off and dimming control. In another instance, a firstinduction lamp may be commanded directly by a remote controller, wherethe first induction lamp also acts as a repeater by sending the commandon to at least one of a plurality of other induction lamps. In anexample, a plurality of induction lamps may be controlled with a singleremote control command, where induction lamps within range of the remotecontroller respond to the direct command, and where induction lamps notwithin direct range of the remote controller (such as because ofdistance, obstructions, and the like) are commanded by commands beingrepeated by induction lamps that had received the command (such as byany induction lamp repeating the command when received).

Management and control facilities may include a processor-basedalgorithm that provides at least partial autonomous management andcontrol from parameters determined internal to the induction lamp, suchas for color control, lumen output control, power management, and thelike. For instance, lumen output control may be implemented at least inpart by a processor-based algorithm where inputs to the processor mayinclude feedback signals from the inverter output, and where inputs fromthe processor include control signals as an input to the inverter. Inthis way, the processor-based algorithm may at least in part replaceanalog feedback functionality, such as to provide greater control of thelumen output through internal algorithms utilizing data table mappingsof inverter output current vs. luminous output, and the like. Thealgorithm may also accept control via commands to the induction lamp,such as from a switch setting, a remote control input, a commandreceived from another induction lamp, and the like.

Thermal

In embodiments, the induction lamp may manage thermal dissipation withinthe structure, such as through a dynamic power management facilityutilizing a processor-based control algorithm, through a closed-loopthermal control system, through thermal-mechanical structures, and thelike. Indicators of thermal dissipation, such as temperature, current,and the like, may be monitored and adjusted to maintain a balance ofpower dissipated within the induction lamp such as to meet predeterminedthermal requirements, including for maximizing the life of componentswithin the induction lamp, maintaining safe levels of power dissipationfor components and/or the system, maximizing energy efficiency of thesystem, adjusting system parameters for changes in the thermal profileof the system over a dimming range, and the like. In an example, powerdissipation across a dimming range may create varying power dissipationin the system, and the dynamic power management facility may adjustpower being dissipated by the ballast in order to maintain a maximumpower requirement. In another example, maximum power dissipation for thesystem or components of the system may be maintained in order tomaintain a life requirement for the system or components, such as fortemperature sensitive components.

Electrical and Mechanical Connection

In embodiments, the electrical-mechanical connection of the inductionlamp may be standard, such as the standard for incandescent lamps ingeneral lighting, including an Edison screw in candelabra, intermediate,standard or mogul sizes, or double contact bayonet base, or otherstandards for lamp bases included in ANSI standard C81.67 and IECstandard 60061-1 for common commercial lamps. This mechanicalcommonality enables the induction lamp to be used as a replacement forincandescent bulbs. The induction lamp may operate at AC mainscompatible with any of the global standards, such as 120V 60 Hz, 240V 50Hz, and the like. In embodiments, the induction lamp may be alterable tobe compatible with a plurality of standard AC mains standards, such asthrough an external switch setting, through an automatic voltage and/orfrequency sensing, and the like, where automatic sensing may be enabledthrough any analog or digital means known to the art.

Dimming: Improved Dimming Circuits

Phase controlled TRIAC dimmers are commonly used for dimmingincandescent lamps. A TRIAC is a bidirectional gate controlled switchthat may be incorporated in a wall dimmer. A typical dimmer circuit withan incandescent lamp is shown in FIG. 2, where the TRIAC turns “on”every half of the AC period. The turn “on” angle is determined by theposition of the dimmer potentiometer and can vary in range from 0 to 180degrees in the AC period. Typically the lighting dimmer is combined witha wall switch. An incandescent lamp is an ideal load for a TRIAC. Itprovides a sufficient latching and holding current for a stable turn“on” state. The TRIAC returns to its “off” state when the current dropsbelow a specific “holding” current. This typically occurs slightlybefore the AC voltage zero crossing. But wall dimmers do not operateproperly with most normal single stage ballasts. These ballasts aredistinguished by front-end power supplies having a bridge rectifier withan electrolytic storage capacitor and without any additional so-calledpower factor correction circuits. Since the conduction angle of thebridge rectifier is very short in a conventional ballast that does nothave any power factor correction circuitry, neither trigger current norholding current are provided during the portion of the period when therectifier is not conducting, and the TRIAC operation becomes unstable,which causes lamp flickering.

Besides holding and trigger currents, the TRIAC should be provided withlatching current, that is a sufficient turn “on” current lasting atleast 20-30 usec for latching the TRIAC's internal structure in a stable“on” state. A ballast circuit may have an RC series circuit connectedacross the ballast AC terminals to accommodate the TRIAC. But steadypower losses in the resistor could be significant. Other references havesimilar principles of operation, such as based on drawing high frequencypower from the bridge rectifier.

Other previous work discloses a TRIAC dimmable electrodeless lampwithout an electrolytic storage capacitor. In this case the ballastinverter input current is actually a holding current of the TRIAC and ishigh enough to accommodate any dimmer. The lamp ballast is built asself-oscillating inverter operating at 2.5 MHz. An example block diagramof a dimmable ballast is shown in FIG. 3. It comprises an EMI filter Fconnected in series with AC terminals, a Bridge Rectifier providing highripple DC voltage to power a DC-to-AC resonant inverter, and a ResonantTank loaded preferably by inductively coupled Lamp. The ballast inverteris preferably self-oscillating inverter operating in high frequencyrange (2.5-3.0 MHz). A TRIAC dimmer is connected in front of the ballastproviding phase-cut control of the input AC voltage.

Related art teaches operation from a rectified AC line live voltage thatvaries from almost zero volts to about 160-170V peak. A self-oscillatinginverter may start at some instant DC bus voltage, such as between 80Vand 160V, but it will stop oscillating at lower voltage (usually in arange between 20V and 30V). FIG. 4 illustrates a related art dimmingmethod where Vm 402 is a voltage waveform after the TRIAC dimmer. Thisvoltage is rectified and applied to the input of the inverter. Withoutan electrolytic storage capacitor, the ballast inverter (not shown inFIG. 4) stops its operation during the TRIAC “off” intervals.Accordingly, the electrical discharge in the lamp burner stops andstarts, such as illustrated in lamp current I_(LAMP) 404 in FIG. 4.

Other related art discloses a TRIAC dimmed electronic ballast thatutilizes a charge pump concept for an inductively coupled lamp. Thismethod requires injecting RF power from the inverter into the full wavebridge rectifier used to convert the 60 Hz AC power into DC power.Accordingly, the 60 Hz bridge rectifier must be constructed using diodesthat are rated for the full power line voltage and ballast inputcurrent, and are also fast enough to switch at the inverter frequencywithout excessive power loss.

Therefore, there may be embodiments for operating high frequencyelectrodeless lamps powered from TRIAC-based dimmers that reduce oreliminate the capacitor(s).

In accordance with an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment, a methodfor dimming a gas discharge lamp with a TRIAC-based wall dimmer isprovided. The method may provide uninterruptible operation of the lampand the ballast during TRIAC dimming. The method may include poweringthe ballast without an electrolytic smoothing capacitor, directly fromthe rectified AC voltage that is chopped by the TRIAC dimmer, andsupporting lamp operation during the off time of the TRIAC, such as witha smoothing electrolytic capacitor-less D.C. bus. Implementation of themethod may include additional features comprising charging a small lowvoltage capacitor from the DC bus via a DC-to-DC step down currentlimiting converter during the TRIAC “on” intervals and discharging thiscapacitor directly to the DC bus during TRIAC “off” intervals, formaintaining uninterruptable current in the gas discharge lamp.

In another aspect, the invention may feature a DC current charge circuitfor charging a low voltage capacitor. In one of disclosure embodimentsthe charger may be built as charge pump connected to the output of theballast resonant inverter.

In the other aspect, for dimming of inductively coupled lamps, theinvention may feature a secondary series resonant tank for stepping downthe DC bus voltage for charging a low voltage capacitor. The secondaryresonant tank may be coupled to the switching transistors of the ballastresonant inverter.

FIG. 5 shows block-circuit diagram of an electronic ballast connected toa TRIAC dimmer 502. The dimmer 502 may be for instance, a wall dimmeraimed for controlling incandescent lamps. The electronic ballast mayfeature a front-end power supply without a traditional smoothingcapacitor, such as with a smoothing electrolytic capacitor-less D.C.bus. It may comprise an EMI filter 504, a Bridge Rectifier 508, a highfrequency Inverter 512 (e.g. a 2.5 MHz inverter), and resonant load thatincludes Matching Network 514 and electrodeless Lamp 518. In accordancewith exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the high frequency invertermay be selected to operate at a very wide frequency range such as tensof KHz to many hundreds of MHz. The Matching Network 514 may utilize acircuit having resonant inductor LR 520 and resonant capacitor CR 522with the Lamp 518 connected in parallel with the resonant capacitor CR522. An auxiliary low voltage (40-50V) DC power supply 510 may beconnected to the DC bus 524 of the inverter via a backup diode D 528 forfilling in rectified voltage valleys. The power supply 510 may be builtas a DC-to-DC step down converter powered from the DC bus 524. Theauxiliary DC power supply 510 may comprise a small low voltage storagecapacitor (which may be electrolytic or tantalum type) for maintaininguninterruptable low power lamp operation during the TRIAC “off” timeintervals. The R-C network 530 may be connected across the diode D 528for providing latching current pulse of very short duration (20-40 usec)to the TRIAC after its triggering. By having a low voltage power supply510 (40-50V or even lower), a wider dimming range may be achieved.

In FIG. 6, dimming operation of the lamp and ballast of FIG. 5 isillustrated by showing wave forms of the DC bus voltage V_(BUS) 602,Lamp voltage V_(L) 604, Lamp current I_(L) 608, and auxiliary powersupply current I_(AUX) 610. In comparison with the prior art methoddemonstrated in FIG. 3, the lamp current continues during the TRIAC“off” intervals, so that the ballast and the lamp do not need torestart. To keep the Lamp “on” at minimum current only 15-20% of nominallamp power may be needed. This power may be obtained from an external orinternal DC source.

In accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments a method for adimming gas discharge lamp powered by an electronic ballast with afront-end power supply without an electrolytic smoothing capacitor isprovided. Said method may feature uninterruptible lamp operation andcomprises steps of charging a low voltage storage capacitor during theTRIAC “on” time intervals and discharging said low voltage storagecapacitor to the DC bus during the TRIAC “off” time intervals. Since thelow voltage storage capacitor for supporting lamp operation must storeonly a small amount of energy, its overall size may be substantiallyless than the size of a storage capacitor in the prior art dimmedballasts with boosting voltage charge pumps. Since auxiliary voltageV_(AUX) may not exceed 50V, a miniature tantalum capacitor may be usedin the ballast.

In accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments an electronicballast is provided without an electrolytic DC bus smoothing capacitor.FIG. 7 illustrates a block-circuit diagram in an embodiment of thedisclosure, preferably for RF electronic ballasts. It may comprise aballast connected to a TRIAC dimmer (not shown). The ballast front-endpower supply may comprise an EMI filter 702 and a bridge rectifier 704.There may not be a traditional electrolytic capacitor connected inparallel to the output of the bridge rectifier 704. A self-oscillatinginverter 708 may be built with a half bridge topology but other relevantinverter topologies may also be used. The inverter 708 may comprise apair of series MOSFET switching transistors Q1 710 and Q2 712, connectedacross DC bus 714, a capacitive divider with capacitors C1 718 and C2720 across the DC bus 714, parallel loaded matching network 722 having afirst series resonant inductor LR1 724 and a first resonant capacitorCR1 728. Inductively coupled Lamp 730 may be connected in parallel tothe first resonant capacitor CR1 728. The combination of the matchingnetwork and the inductance of the lamp coupler forms a first resonantcircuit. Transistors Q1 710 and Q2 712 may be driven by a drive circuit732 coupled to the inverter 708 via a positive feedback 734 circuit (notshown), for self-excitation of the inverter 708.

In accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, FIG. 7 showsthe auxiliary power supply combined with the inverter power stages,comprising the transistors Q1 710 and Q2 712. The inverter 708 mayinclude a low voltage storage capacitor C_(ST) 738 having a positiveterminal connected to DC bus 714 via a backup diode D 750 and a negativeterminal connected to DC bus negative terminal. The inverter 708 mayalso feature a second, series loaded, current limiting resonant tank 740comprising a second resonant inductor LR2 742 and a second resonantcapacitor CR2 744. A secondary high frequency rectifier having diodes D1752 and D2 754 may be connected in series with the indictor LR2 742 andcapacitor CR2 744. Rectified current charges the storage capacitorC_(ST) 738. A ceramic bypass capacitor (not shown) may be connected inparallel to the storage capacitor C_(ST) 738 for RF application. Thepower of the second resonant circuit may be much less than the firstone, so that a tiny Schottky diode array, for instance, BAS70-04 may beused for 752 and 754 in the secondary rectifier circuit. An RC-network748 may be connected across the diode 750 for conditioning the externalTRIAC dimmer. In the ballast of FIG. 7, the storage capacitor C_(ST) 738may have much less energy storage than a traditional DC bus high voltagecapacitor, where its rated voltage may be about 50V. The low voltagestorage capacitor C_(ST) 738 may have much smaller dimensions than thetraditional high voltage DC bus capacitor in prior art ballasts.

In accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, FIG. 8demonstrates another low cost configuration. This embodiment differsfrom that presented in FIG. 7 by the way in which the storage capacitorC_(ST) 738 is charged. In the inverter 708 of FIG. 8 C_(ST) 738 ischarged by a charge pump from the inverter output. A series capacitor Cp802 is connected between the inverter high voltage terminal LH 808 andthe diode configuration of D1 752 and D2 754. Charge current isdetermined by value of capacitor Cp 802. A bypass capacitor C_(B) 804may be connected across the storage capacitor C_(ST) 738.

Comparatively, the arrangement in FIG. 8 may provide faster low voltagecapacitor C_(ST) 738 charging during lamp starting. But it may slow downthe starting process of an electrodeless lamp by taking power from thelamp and returning said power to the inverter input. Also, this powerfeedback may cause system stability problems during steady-state systemoperation because of the negative incremental impedance of the lamp.

The additional component LR2 742 in FIG. 7 may provide full decouplingfrom resonant load and the lamp. It may provide reliable starting andhigh efficiency due to the step down feature of the series loadconnection. To help guarantee Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS), the secondresonant tank should operate in inductive mode, such as whenωLR2>1/ωCR2. In an example, for a 20 W electrodeless lamp operating at2.75 MHz, the values of secondary resonant circuit components may be thefollowing: LR2=150 uH, CR2=18 pF; Schottky diode array BAS70-04,electrolytic capacitor C_(ST)=22 uF, 50V. A bypass capacitor 0.1 uF isconnected across the electrolytic capacitor C_(ST).

The lamp may be dimmed because of a variation of the RMS voltage appliedto the lamp, with a condition that the minimum required lamp current issustained. Some minimum DC bus voltage should be provided to ensurecontinuous ballast and lamp operation. During TRIAC dimming both theTRIAC formed voltage and the DC backup voltage may vary and cause lampdimming. The lower the minimum backup voltage the wider the dimmingrange. This minimum voltage depends on many factors determined by thelamp and ballast or combination of both characteristics. For a 2.5 MHzelectrodeless lamp the minimum operation voltage for continuation ofburning may be about 38-40V at 20° C. ambient temperature.

FIG. 9 shows actual oscillograms taken from operation of a 20 W, 2.75MHz electrodeless lamp using a ballast with the preferred embodiment,when powered with a TRIAC dimmer. Ch2 904 shows the TRIAC dimmer outputvoltage, Ch1 902 shows lamp voltage, and Ch3 908 shows lamp current. Thebackup DC voltage is about 45V. As can be seen the lamp and ballastoperate continuously with the TRIAC dimmer. In this example, the lamp isdimmed to 60%.

At low bus voltage, lamp voltage (Ch1) is increased, since the gasdischarge is characterized by negative impedance. Inductively coupledlamps are distinguished by a significant leakage inductance. That is whylamp voltage increases correspondingly with lamp current (Ch3).

Dimming: Burst Mode Dimming

Burst mode dimming is a method to control the power delivered to theburner, and the light generated by the burner that uses periodicinterruptions of the high frequency signal delivered to the coupler fromthe ballast.

One way to control the power delivered to the burner and hence controlthe light output of the burner, is to turn the high frequency currentdelivered by the ballast to the coupler, I_(C), on and off on a periodicbasis at a rate that is much lower than the frequency of the highfrequency current itself. That is, if the high frequency current has afrequency of f_(O) (e.g., in the 1 MHz to 50 MHz region) and the rate ofthe periodic signal is f_(M), then f_(M) would be much lower than f_(O).In embodiments, f_(M) may be less than one-tenth of f_(O) in order tobetter ensure that the resulting dimming would not produce perceptibleflickering.

In embodiments, the dimming signal may be synchronized to the lampcurrent waveform, so that lamp drive current is always provided in fullhalf-cycles of the lamp operating frequency. This is intended to reducethe generation of RF energy at frequencies other than the lamp operatingfrequency, since such energy could interfere with RF communicationdevices operating at frequencies other than the operating frequency ofthe lamp. Further, the drive current I_(C) may be a sinusoidal, or nearsinusoidal, drive current.

The time duration of each On period and each Off period of I_(C) will beless than 1/f_(M), and the sum of the time duration of the On period andthe time duration of the Off period will equal 1/f_(M). Since f_(M) ismuch lower than f₀, each On period of I_(C) will ideally have more than10 cycles of I_(C).

In some embodiments it may be desirable that the Off period time ofI_(C) be shorter than the time required for the electron density of thedischarge to substantially decrease. For the exemplar induction coupledlamp, this time is believed to be about 1 msec.

In other embodiments it may be desirable that the Off period time ofI_(C) be longer than the time required for the electron density of thedischarge to substantially decrease. For the exemplar induction coupledlamp, this time is believed to be about 1 msec.

In some embodiments it may be desirable that f_(M) be higher than 20kHz, so that the circuits used to generate this signal do not createaudible noise, while in other embodiments it may be desirable that f_(M)be lower than 20 kHz so that the Off period time duration of I_(C) canbe longer than the time required for the electron density tosubstantially decrease.

For example, if f_(M) is set to 25 kHz the Off time will always be lessthan 0.04 msec. In addition, if f_(M) is set to 25 kHz, and the On timeis set to 1% of the time rate of the modulation frequency, 1/25 kHz, theOn time will be 0.4 μsec, and this time period will contain 10 cycles ofIC when f₀ is 25 MHz. In this manner periodic bursts of current at afrequency of f₀ and controllable duration can be applied to the coilthat is driving the lamp or discharge.

This power control method may be used to reduce the power delivered tothe lamp when less light is required and less power consumption isdesired. This is known in the art as dimming.

The dimming function can be controlled by a circuit that senses thefiring angle of a TRIAC-based phase cut dimmer installed in the powersupply for the lamp, or it may be controlled by a control means mountedon the lamp itself, or by radio waves or by infrared control, or anyother suitable means.

The power control method can also be used to provide accurate operationof the lamp without the use of precision components in the highfrequency oscillator. The circuit could be designed to produce somewhatmore than the rated power of the lamp, and then the burst mode powercontrol could be used to reduce the power to the rated value.

The power control could also be used to provide shorter run-up times formercury-based lamps. When used in this manner, the circuit providingI_(C) would be designed to produce 20% to 50% more current thannecessary for steady state operation. When the lamp is cold and themercury vapor pressure is low, the extra current would provide morelight and facilitate faster heating of the mercury, which would, inturn, provide a faster rise in mercury vapor pressure from its value atroom temperature toward the optimum mercury vapor pressure, which occursat temperatures higher than 20° C. As the lamp warms up to its normaloperating temperature, the power control would reduce the powergradually to its normal value. The lamp would not overheat when operatedat higher than normal power to implement this feature because the higherpower would be applied only when the lamp is at a temperature lower thanits normal operating temperature.

TRIAC Holding and Trigger Current: Pass-Through Current

It is desirable for all types of lighting, especially screw-in lightbulbs, to be compatible with TRIAC-based phase cut dimmers due to thelow cost and ubiquitous presence of these dimmers in lightinginstallations. These dimmers are wired in series with the AC linevoltage and the lighting load. Accordingly, any current drawn by thedimmer circuit needs to pass through the load. In particular, thesedimmers include a timing circuit in which the applied line voltagecharges a capacitor through a variable resistor. Each half-cycle of theline frequency, the capacitor is charged up to a threshold voltage atwhich a semiconductor break-over device (typically a 32 volt DIAC),conducts a pulse of trigger current into the gate terminal of the TRIACto put the TRIAC into a conductive state.

A resistive load like an incandescent light bulb naturally conducts thecurrent required by the timing circuit for triggering the TRIAC into theon-state. In contrast, electronic circuits, such as used withfluorescent lamps, may not conduct current at low input line voltages.Typically, they include an energy storage capacitor to hold up thesupply voltage for the load continuously throughout the line cycle. Inthe case of a fluorescent ballast, this energy storage capacitortypically supplies an inverter circuit that converts the DC voltage onthe storage capacitor to an AC current for powering the fluorescentlamp. When the instantaneous line voltage is low, the rectifier or othercircuit that charges the energy storage capacitance will not drawcurrent from the line. Even without an energy storage capacitor, therewill be a minimum voltage required for the inverter or other electroniccircuit to operate.

In addition to the timing circuit of the dimmer, some dimmers maycontain one or more indicator LED's or other electronics that requirethe load to pass current for proper operation.

A resistor placed across the input of the electronic ballast might drawthe required pass-through current prior to the dimmer TRIAC switching tothe on-state; however, the full line voltage would be applied to thisresistor while the TRIAC is on, therefore dissipating too much power andgenerating too much heat for this to be a practical solution.

In embodiments, a circuit may be provided with a resistor load that isswitched relative to at least one threshold level. For instance, theresistor load may be switched on when the applied line voltage fallsbelow a relatively low threshold, and off when the applied line voltageexceeds the threshold. In this way, a load is presented to the TRIAC toprovide the required pass-through current when the voltage is low (e.g.,when the ballast is in a state that does not provide a sufficient pathfor such current), and removes the resistor load when the voltage ishigh, thus eliminating the power dissipated in the resistor at a timewhen the resistor is not needed to provide pass-through current. Inanother instance, there may be multiple threshold levels, such as toprovide hysteresis for rising verses falling voltage levels. Inembodiments, rather than completely switching out the resistor duringthe entire time the line voltage is high, the resistor may be switchedin and out as a pulsed current load, thus providing a way to modulatethe load resistor's effect. For example, the resistor may be switched(e.g., by way of a transistor circuit) at a 100% duty cycle when theline voltage is below the set threshold, and at a reduced duty cycle,such as a 10% duty cycle, when the line voltage is above the setthreshold.

Referring to FIG. 10, an example circuit is illustrated where thethreshold is set for 10 volts. V1 represents the input line voltagepresented by the dimmer. Q1 and Q2 form a Darlington transistor pair forswitching load resistor R1, and these transistors must be rated about200V or higher for a 120VAC line. Resistor R2 provides base drive to Q2.With a net current gain (beta) value of at least 500, Q2 will, forexample conduct approximately 15 mA (pass-through/trigger current) with6V on the input line. When the input voltage exceeds approximately 10V,resistors R3 and R4, bias Q3 into the active region where it conductsenough current to cut off the base drive to Q1/Q2.

The value of R1 is selected here such that, even if the maximum of 10volts were applied to the circuit continuously, power dissipation wouldbe only about ¼watt. Normally, the power dissipation would be much lessthan this because the series resistance in the dimmer is normally 10kiliohms or larger, resulting in less than 3.5% of the line voltageappearing across the pass-through circuit, and once the TRIAC istriggered, the applied voltage would exceed the 10 volt threshold,thereby blocking current flow in the load resistor R1.

Besides varying resistor values and resulting threshold voltages, otherembodiments of this invention, may replace the combination of Q1/Q2 witha switch such as a MOSFET (with a zener diode to protect its gate), orunder some conditions, a single bipolar transistor may providesufficient gain. Q3 can also be implemented by some other switch or itsfunction may be incorporated into an integrated circuit.

This discrete circuit can operate with very low voltages across theballast input and begin to draw current when the supply voltage exceedsa small threshold voltage, approximately 1.2V in the embodiment of FIG.10. This feature allows the circuit to operate when the TRIAC is off,giving smoother operation during startup and at very low dimmer settingswhere the TRIAC does not turn on. An LED on the dimmer, for example,could still be lit by this pass-through circuit at such low dimmersettings.

The load resistor will not be connected all the time, eithercontinuously or pulsed, while the resistor in this invention will bedisconnected when the voltage is higher than the set point.

Other Dimming, TRIAC Holding, and Trigger Current Circuits:

Other circuits and/or components associated with dimming, TRIAC holding,and trigger current may provide benefits, such as a charge pump, avoltage boost, an AC load capacitance, a constant current load, acircuit for limiting electrolytic capacitor current with a currentsource, a circuit for providing frequency dimming, a circuit forproviding amplitude dimming, a shutdown circuit, and the like. Forinstance, the induction lamp may be dimmed through a plurality ofmethods, such in embodiments described herein. Each method hasadvantages and disadvantages that depend on the embodiments implementedin the induction lamp, such as load characteristics, ballast circuitcharacteristics, and the like. For example, as an alternative to otherdimming methods described herein, shifting the frequency operating pointat which the electric ballast operates may reduce the load current, andthus dim the induction lamp. This is referred to as frequency dimming.Another embodiment includes a method of reducing the power levelprovided to the load, such as by reducing the supply voltage, which thenreduces the load current, thus providing a dimming of the inductionlamp. This is referred to as amplitude dimming. Selection of a dimmingmethod may also include combinations of these methods, as well as withthe various methods described herein.

EMI

The issue of electromagnetic interference (EMI) inflicted by anyindustrial and consumer product utilizing RF power is the subject ofstrict domestic and international regulations. According to theseregulations, the EMI level emanating from RF light sources must notexceed some threshold value that may interfere with operation ofsurrounding electronic devices, communication, remote control gadgets,medical equipment and life supporting electronics. The permitted EMIlevel for consumer lighting devices is relaxed at frequencies from 2.51MHz to 3.0 MHz, but the increase in allowable EMI is limited and EMIstill has to be addressed to comply with the regulations.

EMI generated by the electronics, such as from the ballast of theinduction lamp, may be mitigated through the use of shielding around theelectronics, such as with a solid or mesh conductor surrounding theelectronics (e.g. the ballast electronics), around the electronicscompartment, around the interface between the power coupler and theelectronics, and the like, thus creating a Faraday cage around theelectronics and keeping electromagnetic radiation from emanating fromthe electronics portion of the induction lamp. A very thin conductivefoil may be selected because of resulting savings in weight and/or costof materials. This thin foil may be in contact with or supported by anon-conductive material to help maintain dimensional integrity of thethin conductive foil. A mesh may be selected rather than a solid becauseof the resulting savings in weight and/or cost of materials, increasedflexibility in accommodating the packaging of the electronics, and thelike. When a mesh is selected, any holes of the mesh are made to besignificantly smaller than the wavelength of the radiation. To beeffective, holes resulting from connections of the shield to theelectronics enclosure and connectors may also need to be made smallerthan the wavelength of the radiation, whether a solid or mesh conductoris utilized. The holes in the mesh may allow for the passage of wiresbetween the power coupler and the electronics. Thus EMI from theelectronics portion of the induction lamp may be contained. EMI sourcedfrom the power coupler may require other means as described herein.

The conductive EMI of an RF light source (also referred herein as an RFlamp or lamp) is originated by the lamp RF potential V_(p) on the lampsurface inducing an RF current I_(g) to the ac line as displacement RFcurrent through the lamp capacitance C to outer space (ground) accordingto the expression:

I _(g) =V _(p)2πfC

where: V_(p) is the lamp surface RF potential, and f is the lamp drivingfrequency. The lamp capacitance can be evaluated in the Gaussian systemas equal to the lamp effective radius R, C=R in cm or in the SI systemas 1.11R in pF. For an RF lamp size of A19 this capacitance is estimatedas about 4 pF; that results in V_(p)=1 V corresponding to existingregulation limit at 2.65 MHz.

The value of the lamp RF potential V_(p) is defined by capacitivecoupling between the RF carrying conductors (mainly the winding of thelamp coupler and associated wire leads) and the lamp re-entrant cavityhousing the lamp coupler.

The EMI compliance is especially problematic for integrated,self-ballasted compact RF lamps. The requirements for these compact RFlamps are much stronger, since they are connected to ac line directlythrough a lamp socket and have no special dedicated connection to earthground, as is the case for powerful RF lamps having remote groundedballasts.

One effective way to reduce the RF lamp potential is to use a bifilarcoupler winding consisting of two equal length wire windings wound inparallel, and having their grounded ends on the opposite sides of thecoupler.

The essence of this technique is the RF balancing of the coupler withtwo non-grounded wires on the coupler ends having equal RF potential butopposite phase. Such balancing of the coupler provides compensation bymeans of opposite phase voltages induced on the re-entrant cavitysurface, and thus, on the plasma and the lamp surface.

Although this technique for reduction of conductive EMI hassignificantly reduced the lamp RF voltage and has been implemented inmany commercial RF induction lamps, it appeared that is not enough tocomply with the regulation. Some additional means are needed to fartherreduce the EMI level to pass the regulations.

In embodiments, a variety of EMI suppression means may be implemented,such as including a segmented electrostatic shield between the couplerand re-entrant cavity to reduce conductive EMI, a light transparentconductive coating placed between the lamp glass and phosphor, anexternal metal conductive coating for lamp RF screening, and the like.

An alternative (to bifilar winding) way to balance RF coupler has beenproposed for RF balancing the coupler by winding on it two wires in theazimuthally opposite directions and to optionally drive such couplerwith a symmetrical (push-pull) output ballast.

In embodiments, a combination of a bifilar symmetric winding withscreening of the RF wire connecting the coupler with the ballast by abraided shield may provide an EMI reduction of inductive RF fluorescentlamps.

The exemplary embodiments that follow provide an RF induction lamp withsimple and low cost means for suppressing electromagnetic interference.This goal may be achieved by a bifilar winding of the lamp couplerhaving unequal winding wire lengths. Further, an effective grounding ofthe coupler ferromagnetic core may be made with a conductive shell inconductive contact with the coupler ferromagnetic core. These relativelyinexpensive solutions may reduce the conductive electromagneticinterference (EMI) level sufficiently to pass all existing regulationson such interference with significant reserve. In embodiments, theconductive shell may be a foil, a mesh, and the like. The conductive‘shell’ may be implemented as one or of a plurality of conductivestrips. The conductive shell, in contact with the coupler ferromagneticcore, may be located inside the ferromagnetic core (e.g. inserted into acavity within the ferromagnetic core), located between the ferromagneticcore and the coupler windings, located such that a portion of theconductive shell wraps over the coupler windings on the side of thewindings opposite the ferromagnetic core, and the like, or anycombination thereof.

For example, the conductive shell may be a sheet of conductive foillocated between the windings and the ferromagnetic core, with theconductive foil having a strip that wraps over the windings and downalong the top of the windings, such as axially down the power coupler.FIG. 21 shows a front view 2100 and a cross-sectional side view 2101 ofa power coupler with a representative conductive material (e.g., aconductive foil) 2110 located with an inner portion 2112 inside a hollowinterior 2104 of the ferromagnetic core 2102, and wrapped over andaround to the exterior of the power coupler such that an outer portion2114 is located across at least one of the windings 2108. In thisexample, the outer portion 2114 is configured as a single strip ofconducting foil, but one skilled in the art will appreciate that thereare many different configurations that satisfy spirit of the embodiment,such as with a plurality of strips, a thin strip, a wire or plurality ofwires, and the like, with the length of the outer portion being acrossone, more than one, or all of the windings. Further, the size and shapeof the inner portion 2112 may similarly be a wire, a strip, a pluralityof strips, a sheet, a slotted sheet, and the like. In embodiments, theconductive material 2110 may not need to be in direct electrical contactwith the ferromagnetic core, where a relatively large overlappingsurface of the conductive sheet and the ferromagnetic core may provide asufficient interface to ground, as described herein.

In view of the limitations now present in the related art, a new anduseful RF inductive lamp with simplified and effective means forconductive EMI suppression without lamp RF screening and shielded RFwiring is provided.

In accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the lampcoupler may be wound with a bifilar winding having an unequal number ofturns, in such a way that additional turns of the passive windingcompensate the capacitive coupling (to the lamp re-entrant cavity) ofthe RF connecting wire of the active winding. Due to opposite phases ofRF voltages on the non-grounded ends of active and passive windings, thecompensation takes place when the induced RF capacitive currents ofopposite phase on the re-entrant cavity are equal or approximately equalto each other.

In accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, a groundedfoil shell (tube) may be inserted into the ferromagnetic core of thecoupler to reduce the coupler uncompensated common mode RF potential,where the ferromagnetic core may be a tubular ferromagnetic core. Due tothe large shell surface contacting with the core and the very largedielectric constant (or large electrical conductivity) of ferromagneticmaterials, the RF potential of the coupler and thus the conductive EMIcreated by RF lamp may be significantly reduced.

In accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the radialposition of the coupler may be fixed inside the re-entrant cavity toprevent its direct mechanical contact to the coupler, which tends todramatically increase capacitive coupling and thus, conductive EMI. Toprovide a minimal capacitive coupling to the re-entrant cavity, the airgap between the coupler and re-entrant cavity may need to be fixed andequal over all surface of the coupler. Such fixation may be realized bymeans of an increased coupler diameter on its ends with an additionalbonding, a ring spacer set on the coupler ends, and the like.

In accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, a spatiallystable position of the connecting RF wire in the volume outside of theballast compartment may be provided by mechanical fixing the wires onthe inside of the lamp body. Such measure would keep the capacitance ofthe RF connecting wire to the re-entrant cavity at a fixed value duringlamp assembling and reassembling.

FIG. 11 illustrates a cross-section view of an inductive RF lamp inaccordance with an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment. The RF lamp1110 comprises of a glass envelope 1112 with a glass re-entrant cavity1114 sealed into the envelope 1112 and forming a gas discharge vessel(burner) between them. The lamp burner is filled with a working gasmixture of a noble gas such as Argon, Krypton or others and Mercuryvapor. The inner surface of burner, both the envelope 1112 and there-entrant cavity 1114, are covered with a phosphor. With plasmadischarge maintained in the burner, the UV radiation from plasma excitesthe phosphor, which converts UV light to visible light.

The plasma within the burner is maintained by the electric field createdby time-varying magnetic field created by the RF lamp coupler 110sitting inside the re-entrant cavity 1114. The coupler 110, comprising acore 1118 and winding(s) 1120, 1122, is energized by an RF power source(RF ballast) 1136 placed in the ballast cap 1134 and electricallyconnected to the local ground (buss), where the ballast cap 1134 may beeither non-conductive or conductive with a non-conductive coating on theoutside to prevent electrical shock. In this embodiment, the coupler 110consists of a ferromagnetic core 1118 that may be a ferrite with highmagnetic relative permeability μ_(r)>>1, such as where μ_(r) is between20 and 2000. For the frequency of 2.51 MHz to 3.0 MHz allocated for RFlighting, the preferred material may be Ni—Zn ferrite with relativepermeability μ_(r) around 100 having high Curie temperature T_(c)>300°C.

Two windings 1120 and 1122 may be bifilarly wound either directly on thecore 1118 of the coupler 110, or with any form or spool between them.The first active winding 1120 is connected to the ballast 1136 with itsRF end 1126 and its grounded end 1130. RF current in this windingcreates RF magnetic induction in the core that in turn creates thetime-varying electric field that maintains the discharge plasma in thelamp burner.

The second, passive, winding 1122 has the function only of inducing theopposite (reference to the first winding 1120) phase voltage on thecoupler 110, (thereby reducing the lamp conductive EMI). The passivewinding 1122 may be connected to the ballast 1136 only with its groundedend wire 1132, leaving its RF end free.

In embodiments, the number of turns of the passive winding 1122 may notbe equal to that of the active winding 1120. Excess turns 1124 (it couldbe one or more turns, or a fraction of a turn) may be added to thepassive winding. The purpose for addition of these excess turns 1124 isto create some additional (opposite phase) RF capacitive current to there-entrant cavity, to compensate that induced by the RF leads 1126 ofthe active winding.

The general condition of such compensation (the equality of RF currentinduced with opposite phase) is:

∫₀ ^(L) ¹ C ₁(x)V ₁(x)dx=∫ ₀ ^(L) ² C ₂(x)V ₂(x)dx

Here, the integration is along the wire path x. C₁ and C₂ are thedistributed capacitances correspondingly along the active windingconnecting wire 1126 and the passive additional winding 1124; V₁ and V₂are correspondingly, the distributed RF potentials along the wires, andL₁ and L₂ are correspondingly, the length of the connecting andadditional winding wire.

Note that due to the three-dimensional structure of the RF lamp, witharbitrary RF wire positions, it is extremely difficult to calculate thefunctionalities C₁(x) and C₂(x). Therefore, the proper number of turnsin the additional passive winding 1124 may have to be found empiricallyfor a specific RF lamp embodiment.

To further reduce the common mode RF potential of the coupler 110 due toits imperfect balancing, a grounded conductive foil shell (tube) 1128may be inserted into the tubular ferrite core 1118 of the coupler 110.Due to the shell's large surface, its close contact to the inner surfaceof the core 1118, and a very high ferrite core dielectric constant(or/and its high conductivity), the coupler RF potential reference tolocal ground is considerably reduced, and thus, conductive EMI in the RFlamp.

The shell 1128 inserted into the core 1118 may be made of a conductivefoil, such as copper foil, aluminum foil, and the like. It may be madeas a closed tube, have a slot along its axial direction, and the like.In the latter case, the shell may operate as a spring assuring a goodmechanical contact with the inner surface of the core. The length of theshell may be equal, or somewhat longer or shorter than the length of thecoupler. A larger contacting surface between the shell and the couplerwill provide better grounding. On the other hand, a shell length shorterthan that of coupler may be enough for adequate coupler grounding.

Grounding of the coupler with the inserted conductive shell has acertain advantage compared to grounding with an external conductivepatch. Contrary to an external patch, the internal shell may notincrease inter-turn capacitance and may not induce eddy current in theshell. Both these effects diminish the coupler Q-factor and consequentlyincrease power loss in the coupler. The absence of an eddy current inthe inserted shell is due to the fact that RF magnetic lines in thecoupler are parallel to the shell and are diverging on the coupler ends,thus they are not crossing the foil surface.

To prevent the coupler 110 from touching the re-entrant cavity 1114, andthereby increasing conductive EMI, the coupler may need to be fixed inthe approximate center and approximately equidistant of the walls of there-entrant cavity as it is shown in FIG. 12. This may be done with apair of spacers 1140 and 1142 placed correspondingly on the bottom openend and the upper closed ends of the coupler 110. The spacers may bemade of an electrically non-conductive material, such as afiber-reinforced polymer, fiberglass, ceramic fiber, high-temperatureplastic, silicon rubber, and the like. In the case of a fiber-reinforcedpolymer, the fiber may be glass, carbon, basalt, aramid, asbestos, andthe like, and the polymer may be epoxy, vinylester, polyesterthermosetting plastic, phenol formaldehyde resins, and the like. Thespacers may be rated for high-temperature, such as rated to 200° C. Thetop spacer 1142 may better assure axial symmetry between the coupler andreentrant cavity along with providing a cushioned secure fit of thecoupler assembly against the closed end of the glass reentrant cavity.To accommodate this, the spacer 1142 may be made from a pliable materialand have a shape that provides a secure mechanical interface between thecoupler and the re-entrant cavity. The pliable spacer 1142 may have ashape that both provides structural support to prevent movement of thepower coupler axially with respect to the re-entrant cavity and toprovide axial alignment of the power coupler to the re-entrant cavity.Such a shape may include a cylinder, a cylinder with a beveled edge, ahemispherical shape, and the like. The spacer 1142 may also have a holethrough the top, such as smaller than the core. In an example, as shownin FIG. 12, the spacer 1142 may be a beveled spacer 1150 with a holethrough it and with a beveled edge 1154 facing into the corner of there-entrant cavity 1114. More generally, the beveled spacer may bedescribed as a conical frustum shape (e.g. a circular disk-like shapewith a trapezoidal cross-section) where the conical frustum has twoparallel surfaces of unequal surface area, and in this instance, wherethe smaller of the two parallel surfaces faces the closed innermost endof the re-entrant cavity. The beveled or conical frustum shaped spacer1150 may provide a fit to the inside corner of the re-entrant cavity,thus providing greater position stability in maintaining the alignmentof the coupler with respect to the re-entrant cavity. The beveled spacer1150 may provide cushioning between the coupler and the re-entrantcavity along with an additional spacer component 1152 that aids in thealignment of the coupler and the re-entrant cavity. Alternatively, asingle beveled spacer 1158 may be provided that provides both cushioningand alignment, where the single beveled spacer 1158 provides cushioningagainst the closed innermost end of the re-entrant cavity and positionalignment from the sides of the re-entrant cavity. The bevel 1154 mayprovide an especially good fit to the corner of the re-entrant cavitydue to the fact that the inside ‘corner’ of the re-entrant cavity may beconcave in shape and where the bevel 1154 seats the spacer 1142 intothis concave corner much better than would a sharp edged spacer. Inembodiments, the spacer 1142 may also have a lip facing the innermostend of the coupler so as to mechanically secure the position of thepower coupler with respect to the re-entrant cavity. The use of spacers1140 and 1142 may allow for the coupler to be maintained in an axiallyaligned position with respect to the re-entrant cavity, thus improvingEMI performance, and at the same time reducing the need for the couplerto be designed to be a stand-alone structurally rigid component, thuspotentially reducing the cost of the coupler's manufacture.

It may be advantageous to have an air gap between the coupler 110 andre-entrant cavity 1114 rather than filling this space with somecapsulation material having a high dielectric constant, e>>1. In thelatter case, the capacitive coupling of the coupler winding to there-entrant cavity would increase by e times. Since in practice, it isimpossible to reach the ideal RF balancing of the coupler, its residualcommon mode potential (and so EMI level) would be e times larger thanthat with air gap. It is found empirically that the gap between couplerwindings and inner surface of re-entrant cavity of approximately 0.5-1.5mm is enough for embodiments of the RF lamp to pass EMI regulations.Although, increasing of the air gap reduces conductive EMI, theinductive coupling efficiency and lamp starting would be deteriorated.

It was found in many experiments with non-shielded RF wire 1126connecting the coupler 110 to ballast 1136, the conductive EMI level isextremely sensitive to the spatial position of this wire within the lampbody. An arbitrary position of this wire after the lamp assembling maydiminish the effect of the measures described above towards EMIreduction in the RF lamp. Therefore, fixing the position of the wire tosome lamp inner elements may be necessary. Note that wire may be neededto be fixed in position only in the space between the coupler 110 andthe grounded ballast case 1134. The position of the wires inside theballast case may not be important for conductive EMI.

As it seen in FIGS. 11 and 12, four wires 1126, 1130, 1132 and 1138 maybe connected between the coupler and the ballast. Indeed, in thisembodiment, three of them, 1130, 1132 and 1138 are grounded within theballast case, and the forth is connected to the output of the RF ballast1136. Practically, only the positioning of the RF wire 1126 is importantfor the EMI issue, but the grounded wires 1130 and 1132 being positionedon both side of the RF wire 1126 (as it shown in FIGS. E1 and E2)partially perform a shielding function reducing the sensitivity of theconductive EMI level to the position of the RF wire. For this purpose,the wires 1130, 1132 and between them wire 1126 may be fixed together(touching each other with minimal distance between them) on the innerlamp body, such as with some painting, a sticky tape, and the like.

Numerous experiments conducted in the laboratory showed that theexemplary embodiments considered herein are effective and inexpensiveways to address conductive EMI in an RF lamp.

Evaluation of conductive EMI levels of the exemplary embodimentsdescribed herein has been done by measurement of the lamp surfacevoltage Vp, which is proportional to EMI level. For instance, themaximum value of Vp corresponding to the regulation threshold for RFlamp of size A19 at 2.65 MHz, is 2.8 Volt peak-to-peak.

To measure the Vp values, the lamp glass envelope was entirely coveredwith thin copper foil as it shown in FIG. 13 The foil jacket had eightmeridian slots to prevent its interaction with the lamp RF magneticfield. The capacitance between the foil and the plasma inside the lampburner was estimated as a few hundred pF, which was much larger than theinput capacitance (8 pF) of the RF probe connected between the foil anda scope.

Concurrently, a similar measurement has been done with a commercial lamphaving the same size of A19 (6 cm diameter), where the intent was tocompare the EMI performance of the commercial lamp to a lamp constructedconsistent with exemplary embodiments described above. Since the resultsof the measurements were dependent on lamp run-up time, the measurementsfor both lamps were performed at the same time with a two-channeloscilloscope. The experimental set-up for measurement of the lampsurface voltage Vp is shown in FIG. 14. The 22 kΩ resistor is used toprevent line frequency interference with the measurement of small RFvoltages. The overall test set up was provided by the internationalstandard on EMI test equipment, CISPR 16. Power was provided to the testlamp through a Line Impedance Stabilization Network (LISN). This networkcollected the EMI noise on each power line (120V and Neutral) and routedthe collected EMI to a measurement analyzer. In this case, a spectrumanalyzer that was specifically designed for EMI measurements was used.

In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) writes therules for EMI compliance. These lamps are required to comply with FCCPart 18. There are several compliance requirements including technicaland non-technical requirements, but only the FCC-specified residentialmarket limits for EMI were used in this coupler comparison. Testing ofthe noise on the power line was done over the range of frequencies from450 kHz to 30 MHz in accordance with FCC Part 18 requirements. The lampswere mounted in an open-air fixture with their bases oriented downward.The warm up times from a cold turn-on were kept the same at one hour. Apeak detector (PK) was used to speed up the testing. The plots ofmeasured data show limit lines that apply when a quasi-peak detector(QP) is used. For this lamp, QP data is typically 3 dB lower than the PKdata. So if the PK data is below the limit line, the QP data will beeven lower and doesn't need to be measured. Typically in EMI testing, PKdata is recorded initially, and QP data is measured if the PK data isnear or over the limit line. For this comparison task, measuring PK dataallows the two couplers to be compared.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show the FCC Part 18 limit line on plots of measureddata for the two lamps. The horizontal axes are frequency in MHz and thevertical axes are the amplitudes of the measured EMI on a log scale inunits of dBuV, or dB above 1 uV. The construction of couplers impactsthe response vs. frequency, and the two different couplers were notexpected to have identical EMI patterns vs. frequency. What is importantis that both couplers have relatively low EMI that is capable ofcomplying with the FCC's technical limits for Part 18 EMI. Although notshown, couplers without EMI reducing features will exceed the FCC'slimits considerably. The main operating frequency of the electroniccircuit powering the coupler is near a frequency of 2.75 MHz. As shownthere is a “chimney” on the limit line between 2.51 and 3.0 MHz. whereincreased EMI is allowed. It should be noted that in this chimney, thegenerated EMI could be quite large. Exemplary embodiments lower the EMIin this chimney, as shown in FIG. 16 relative to that shown in FIG. 15.

The results of different steps discussed above were separately tested onthis set-up, and confirmed for their effectiveness. When these stepswere incorporated together in the final RF lamp embodiment, its EMIlevel was similar to that of the commercial lamp, and both wereconsiderably lower than the regulation threshold. Thus, the measuredvalues of the lamp surface voltage, for the newly invented lamp andcommercial one were 0.58 V and 0.48 V peak-to-peak respectively, valueswell under the required limitations from the FCC for conductive EMI.

Referring to FIGS. 12A and 12B, in certain situations it may bedesirable to connect the coupler 110 to RF ground through a capacitor1144 that has a low impedance at the operating frequency of the lamp,but a high impedance at the frequency of the AC power line. This wouldprevent electrical shock if a human came in contact with an exposedcoupler 110 while the lamp was connected to an AC power line, even ifthe high frequency converter in the ballast was not operating. The term“RF ground” is understood to mean any node of the ballast that has a lowRF potential with respect to the circuit common node. In a typicalballast, both the circuit common, which is typically the negative DCbus, and the positive DC bus, are RF ground nodes. Referring to FIG.12A, in embodiments, the coupler 110 may include a ferromagnetic core18, and the connection of the capacitor 1144 may be made to the coupler110 or to any component associated with the coupler 110, such as aferromagnetic core, a conductive foil or shell inserted within or aroundthe core, and the like. Referring to FIG. 12B, in embodiments, thecoupler 110 may include an air-core, and the connection of the capacitor1144 may be made to the coupler 110, such as directly to the windingreturn 1130, and the like. In embodiments, there may be two capacitorsconnected to the winding, such as one capacitor connected at onelocation (e.g. at a first end of the winding) and a second capacitorconnected at a second location (e.g. at the second end of the winding).The coupler 110 of FIG. 12B is shown with a dotted line to indicate, asdescribed herein, that an air-core coupler may optionally include anon-magnetic and non-conductive supporting material, such as a plasticform, to support the conductor coil, or, if the coil is self-supporting,with no additional support at all.

The potential for electrical shock may arise when an electronic circuitis powered from an AC power line by means of a full wave bridgerectifier because the magnitude of the voltage difference between thepositive output terminal of the full wave bridge rectifier, which isnormally connected to the positive DC bus of the high frequencyconverter, and each of the two AC power lines will periodically be equalto the peak of the AC input voltage between those two power lines. Inlike manner, the magnitude of the voltage difference between thenegative output terminal of the full wave bridge rectifier, which isnormally connected to the negative DC bus of the converter, oftenlabeled circuit common, and each of the two AC power lines will alsoperiodically be equal to the peak of the AC input voltage between thosetwo power lines. Due to this characteristic of circuits powered from ACpower lines through full wave bridge rectifiers, the potential forelectric shock exists if users are allowed to come in contact withcircuit common or other node of the circuit that does not have a highimpedance to circuit common at a frequency of 60 Hz. For instance, andwithout limitation, if the conductive foil shell 1128 shown in FIG. 11is connected directly to any point in the ballast circuit, a potentialfor electrical shock is created if users come in contact with theferrite core 1118 of coupler 110.

In order to remove such a shock hazard, the low resistance connectionbetween the coupler 110 and ballast circuitry should be removed andreplaced with a capacitor 1144 that has a low impedance at the operatingfrequency of the lamp and a high impedance at the power line frequency.

In a non-limiting example, and referring to FIG. 12A, for a lampoperating frequency of 2.65 MHz with a ferromagnetic core withconductive foil shell inserted, and operated from a 60 Hz power line,the isolation capacitor should have a value between 0.6 nF and 13 nF,where we want the 60 Hz leakage current from the ferrite core 1118 toearth ground be no greater than 1 mA, and the magnitude of the impedancefrom the conductive foil shell to circuit common, or to the positive DCbus, at the lamp operating frequency of 2.65 MHz to be no higher than100 Ohms. The magnitude of the impedance of a 0.6 nF capacitor is 100Ohms at 2.65 MHz and 4.4 Meg Ohms at 60 Hz. The magnitude of theimpedance of an 11 nF capacitor is 4.62 Ohms at 2.65 MHz and 200 K Ohmsat 60 Hz. Different capacitor values can be used if these boundaryconditions are relaxed.

In a different non-limiting example, and referring to FIG. 12B, for alamp operating frequency of about 27 MHz with an air-core coupler, andoperated from a 60 Hz power line, the isolation capacitor should have avalue between 60 pF and 13 nF, where we want the 60 Hz leakage currentfrom the coupler 110 to earth ground be no greater than 1 mA, and themagnitude of the impedance from the coupler to circuit common, or to thepositive DC bus, at the lamp operating frequency of about 27 MHz to beno higher than 100 Ohms. The magnitude of the impedance of a 60 pFcapacitor is 98 Ohms at 27 MHz and 44 Meg Ohms at 60 Hz. The magnitudeof the impedance of an 11 nF capacitor is 0.453 Ohms at 27 MHz and 200 KOhms at 60 Hz. Different capacitor values can be used if these boundaryconditions are relaxed.

Optics

In embodiments, optical coatings may be used to optimize the performanceof the induction lamp, such as to maximize visible light emitted,minimize light absorbed by the power coupler, and the like. Opticalcoatings may at least partially reflect, refract, and diffuse light. Forinstance, a reflection coating may be used to reflect light impinging onthe re-entrant cavity back into the burner, as otherwise that light maybe absorbed by the coupler and thus not converted to visible lightemitted to the external environment. Further, light absorbed by thecoupler may contribute unwanted heat to the coupler, thus affecting itsperformance, life, and the like. In another instance, optical coatingsmay be used on the outside envelope of the burner, such as between thephosphor coating and the glass, where this optical coating may enhancethe transfer of light through the glass, such as though index matching.Further, the coating may be used to help decrease absorption of themercury into or onto the glass envelope. Optical coatings may also beused to create or enhance aesthetic aspects of the induction lamp, suchas to create an appearance for the lower portion of the induction lampto substantially look like the glass upper portion of the inductionlamp. In embodiments, coatings on the upper and lower portions of theinduction lamp may be applied so as to minimize the difference in theoutward appearance of the upper and lower portions of the inductionlamp, such as to minimize the differences in the outward appearance ofthe induction lamp to that of a traditional incandescent lamp, thuscreating a more familiar device to the consumer along with a resultingincrease in usage acceptance with respect to being used for replacementof incandescent lamps.

In embodiments, optical components may be provided to enhance a lightingproperty of the induction lamp. Optical components may includereflectors, lenses, diffusers, and the like. Lighting propertiesaffected by optical components may include directionality, intensity,quality (e.g. as perceived as ‘hard’ or ‘soft’), spectral profile, andthe like. Optical components may be integrated with the induction lamp,included in a lighting fixture that houses the induction lamp, and thelike. For instance, reflectors and lenses may be used in a lightingfixture in conjunction with the induction lamp to accommodate a lightingapplication, such as directional down lighting, omnidirectionallighting, pathway lighting, and the like. In an example, a lightingfixture may be created for a directional down light application, wherereflectors proximate to the sides of the induction light direct sidelight from the induction lamp to a downward direction, where a lens mayfurther direct the light reflected from the reflected side light anddirectly from the induction lamp within a desired downward solid angle.

Electronic Ballast Having Improved Power Factor and Total HarmonicDistortion

In embodiments, as shown in FIG. 17, a source of AC voltage 120V, 60 Hzis applied to the full wave bridge rectifier BR 1702 via EMI filter F1704, the DC output voltage of BR is applied directly between thepositive rail +B 1708 and negative rail −B 1710 of the DC bus which iscoupled to the output of BR. There is no traditional energy-storageelectrolytic capacitor across DC bus. A DC backup voltage generated bythe Passive Valley Fill Circuit (PVFC) 1722 is superposed on therectified voltage and results in Vbus voltage for powering a highfrequency resonant inverter INV 1712. A small bypass capacitor Cbp 1714is connected to the input of the DC inverter to smooth out highfrequency voltage ripple generated by the resonant inverter INV. Theresonant inverter INV powers a fluorescent lamp 1718. Multiple lamps maybe powered from a single inverter INV (not shown in FIG. 17). Theinverter INV may have a control circuitry C 1720 for driving powerstages and other needs. This circuitry needs an auxiliary power supply.In FIG. 17 the auxiliary power is obtained from the 4-capacitor 9-diode(4C9D) PVFC via a resistor R1 1724. The PVFC is a network built withfour small capacitors, each having a voltage rating substantially belowthe voltage of the DC bus, and 9 diodes for generating a backup DCvoltage that is about ¼^(th) of the peak rectified voltage. For a 120VAC line this DC voltage will be about 40V. This voltage is sufficient tosupport continuous lamp operation. The PVFC comprises first, second,third, and fourth capacitors, designated C1 1741, C2 1742, C3 1743, andC4 1744, each having a positive terminal designated as “+” and alsohaving a negative terminal. These capacitors are connected in series viafirst, second and third charge diodes designated as D1 1731, D2 1732,and D3 1733, each having an anode and a cathode. The diodes D1, D2, andD3 allow capacitors C1, C2, C3 and C4 to charge in series, but preventthose same capacitors C1, C2, C3, and C4 from discharging in series.Passive Valley Fill Circuit PVFC also comprises fourth, fifth, sixth,seventh, eighth and ninth discharge diodes designated in FIG. 17 as D41734, D5 1735, D6 1736, D7 1737, D8 1738, and D9 1739, each having ananode and a cathode. These discharge diodes provide parallel dischargepaths to the DC bus for capacitor C1, C2, C3, and C4. The first chargecapacitor C1 has its positive terminal connected to DC bus positive rail+B and has its negative terminal connected to the anode of the firstdiode D1. The second capacitor C2 has its positive terminal connected tothe cathode of the first diode D1 and its negative terminal connected tothe anode of the second diode D2. The third capacitor C3 has itspositive terminal connected to the cathode of the second diode D2 andits negative terminal connected to the anode of the third diode D3. Thefourth capacitor C4 has its positive terminal connected to the cathodeof the third diode D3 and its negative terminal connected to the DC busnegative rail, −B. The cathode of the forth diode D4 is connected to thenegative terminal of the first capacitor, C1, and its anode is connectedto DC bus negative rail −B. The cathode of the fifth diode D5 isconnected to the DC bus positive rail, +B, and its anode is connected tothe positive terminal of the second capacitor C2. The cathode of thesixth diode D6 is connected to the negative terminal of the secondcapacitor C2 and its anode is connected to the DC bus negative rail −B.

The anode of the seventh diode D7 is connected to the positive terminalof the third capacitor C3 and its cathode connected to the DC buspositive rail, +B. The anode of the eighth diode D8 is connected to thepositive terminal of the fourth capacitor C4 and its cathode isconnected to the DC bus positive rail, +B. The anode of the ninth diodeD9 is connected to the DC bus negative rail −B and its cathode isconnected to the negative terminal of the third capacitor C3.

In embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 19, the 4C9D PVFC 1722(comprising C1 1741, C2 1742, C3 1743, C4 1744, D1 1731, D2 1732, D31733, D4 1734, D5 1735, D6 1736, D7 1737, D8 1738, and D9 1739) isutilized in combination with a TRIAC dimmer DM 1902, which is connectedbetween the AC line 1904 and the input of the ballast 1908. The specialfeatures of the 4C9D PVFC is that this circuit eliminates interruptionsof current flow from the AC line that cause flicker in the lamp.

With reference to FIG. 17, the operation of the ballast 1908 may beexplained as follows. When the AC switch (not shown) is turned “on”, ACpower is applied directly to the bridge rectifier BR 1702. There is notraditional electrolytic capacitor at the output of the rectifier, sothat the inverter INV 1712 is powered from unsmoothed rectified voltage.However, the inverter INV may provide a significant lamp startingvoltage when the DC bus voltage is near the peak of the AC line voltageand thereby start the lamp 1718 for at least 1-2 msec. Series capacitorsC1-C4 are charged from the DC bus directly through diodes D1 to D3.Inrush current is limited by the impedance of EMI filter F 1704 andseries resistance of the series capacitors C1-C4. In a quarter of thepower line voltage cycle, each of capacitors C1 to C4 is charged to a DCvoltage that is about of ¼th of AC peak voltage (40V DC at 120V AC powerline). Current to the inverter INV will be provided either from the ACline or from capacitors C1-C4 when they discharge in parallel, dependingon which of the instantaneous voltages is higher. When the instantaneousAC line voltage is above 40-45V, current will be drawn from the AC line.The current conduction angle in the bridge rectifier BR of the ballastis higher than in prior art Passive Valley Fill circuits.

FIG. 18 demonstrates actual oscillograms of the input AC line currentand DC bus voltage in the ballast circuit of FIG. 17 after starting insteady-state mode. A power factor PF=0.96-097 can be achieved forballasts driving gas discharge lamps.

Referring to FIG. 19, a system is provided that includes an electronicballast with the 4C9D PVFC and TRIAC dimmer (such as a wall dimmer)placed in between the power line and the input terminal of the ballast.When the dimmer TRIAC turns on, all four capacitors C1-C4 are charged inseries. Therefore, in the absence of an electrolytic capacitor directlyconnected to the DC bus, the inverter INV consumption current providesfor the TRIAC holding current. This current can satisfy a commercialdimmer to keep it in the “on” position. Thus, light flickering caused byturning on and off the dimmer TRIAC is avoided. When the instant ACvoltage becomes lower than the capacitor voltage, the Bridge RectifierBR is backed up and the inverter INV is supplied by discharge current ofcapacitors C1-C4. The TRIAC loses its holding current and automaticallyturns off until the next half period. But the gas discharge in the lampcontinues at a reduced power, so that with new pulses coming from thedimmer, the lamp does not need to restart. FIG. 20 demonstrates input ACcurrent and DC bus voltage waveforms with the TRIAC dimmer at 50% “on”.The system in FIG. 19 features a wider dimming range than prior artballasts. For 16-20 W gas discharge lamps, 22 uV, 63V capacitors valuesfor C1-C4 may provide a dimming range down to approximately 10%. DiodesD1-D9 may be selected to be the same type. Small signal diodes and diodearrays may be used for cost and space saving.

While only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that manychanges and modifications may be made thereunto without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the present disclosure as described in thefollowing claims. All patent applications and patents, both foreign anddomestic, and all other publications referenced herein are incorporatedherein in their entireties to the full extent permitted by law.

All documents referenced herein are hereby incorporated by reference.

What is claimed is:
 1. An induction RF fluorescent lamp, comprising: abulbous vitreous portion of the induction RF fluorescent lamp comprisinga vitreous envelope filled with a working gas mixture, where the bulbousvitreous portion comprises a first metallic structure for forming amercury amalgam and a second metallic structure to aid in the electricalbreakdown of the working gas mixture, the first and second metallicstructures promoting the rapid development of luminosity of theinduction RF fluorescent light bulb during a turn-on phase; a powercoupler comprising at least one winding of an electrical conductor; ascrew base for electrically connecting the induction RF fluorescentlight bulb into an AC power electrical socket for an ordinaryincandescent light bulb; and an electronic ballast providing appropriatevoltage and current to the power coupler, wherein the induction RFfluorescent light bulb provides an exterior appearance similar to anordinary incandescent bulb.
 2. The lamp of claim 1, wherein theelectronic ballast is contained within a tapering portion of theinduction RF fluorescent lamp that tapers from the bulbous vitreousportion to the screw base such that the bulbous vitreous portion, thetapering portion, and the screw base taken together provide exteriordimensions similar to that of an ordinary incandescent bulb.
 3. The lampof claim 2, wherein the tapering portion is structurally distinct fromthe bulbous vitreous portion.
 4. The lamp of claim 2, wherein thetapering portion and the bulbous vitreous portion are a singleintegrated structure.
 5. The lamp of claim 2, wherein the bulbousvitreous portion is made of glass and the tapering portion is made of aplastic material.
 6. The lamp of claim 2, wherein the bulbous vitreousportion and the tapering portion are made from the same material.
 7. Thelamp of claim 2, wherein the bulbous vitreous portion structure coversthe tapering portion.
 8. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the screw base isa standard E26 Edison screw base.
 9. The lamp of claim 1, wherein thevitreous envelope comprises a re-entrant cavity, where the power coupleris located inside the re-entrant cavity.
 10. The lamp of claim 1,wherein the first metallic structure is substantially flat along aplane.
 11. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the first metallic structure isa folded metallic structure constrained along the plane.
 12. The lamp ofclaim 1, wherein the first metallic structure is a metallic meshstructure.
 13. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the metal of the firstmetallic structure is at least one of steel, stainless steel, nickel,titanium, and tantalum.
 14. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the secondmetallic structure comprises at least one pointed feature to facilitatethe electrical breakdown.
 15. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the locationof the second metallic structure is such that the breakdown voltage forthe working gas mixture is reduced relative to the location of the firstmetallic structure.
 16. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the location of thesecond metallic structure is positioned between the first metallicstructure and the outer wall of the envelope.
 17. The lamp of claim 1,wherein the second metallic structure is one of a wire, sheet and foil.18. The lamp of claim 16, wherein the metal of the second metallicstructure is a conductive metal that does not react with mercury.